Dragon of Snow
by Violet Eagle
Summary: She is a seventeen year old spy for Thirteen and she has just been chosen to go to the one place she has always feared: The Arena. Rated T for language.
1. Chosen

**So, I had a new idea for a Hunger Games fic. I can't say more than that. Hehehe. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC's and plot. Everything else belongs to Ms. Collins.**

_Italics are flashbacks of the main character when in her POV._

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I stand in the group of seventeen year olds and look around. I'm supposed to be meeting Haymitch and instead I got dragged into the square. Damn Peacekeepers. I hate this time of year. I've never had to go through this before, but I've always feared for the District children who did. Now I can safely say that I know their fear. The Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. An idea cooked up by the damned Capitol to keep the Districts from rebelling like we did seventy-four years ago. The part about it that disgusts me is that the people in the Capitol make it out to be some sort of pageant. It's not. At least for those of us in the Districts and Thirteen it's not. The Games are nothing more than a means to keep people in line by making their children kill each other.

I look up at the stage as the clock strikes two. The mayor of this District and the District Escort, Effie Trinket, are sitting in their chairs. Fear grips me again and I don't know why. I don't have any slips in that glass ball. According to our intel, it's been rigged so a twelve year old is going to go in, not me. Is this how these children really feel every year? The mayor stands and starts talking. I know this tale, the history of Panem. My mind goes back to the day I left my home.

_"What do you mean I'm going out? You never send me out." She looked me and smiled, if it could be called that._

_ "You are going out. I need you to find this man." She handed me a picture of a middle aged, paunchy man. "He has some intel that we need back here in Thirteen. He doesn't like us sending the same people every time and I've used everyone I can for now. You are the only one left. What are you so worried about?" I dared not mention that it was the time of year for the Reaping. Even though I had never actually participated in a Reaping, it scared me because it was my ancestors who had caused it before they were _'destroyed'_. "Once you find him and get the information, you get out, before the Reaping if possible."_

_ "If possible?" I almost screamed. I barely managed to keep my voice level._

_ "There is a risk that we can't get to you again before then. But you are not a regular in the District so you don't have your name in the ball to be drawn. You're safe enough if you don't draw attention to yourself."_

Applause breaks the memory up and I look at that the stage. Trying to hug Effie is the man I was sent to find. She sent me to talk to a drunk? Isn't he supposed to be a victor? I chance a glance at the mayor and see that he is distressed. Of course he would be. Twelve is now the laughing stock of Panem. Though, I doubt Coin I laughing. This is the man who is supposed to have important information for me. The mayor introduces Effie and she steps up to the podium.

"Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" Ugh, that line disgusts me. The odds are never in favor of the tributes. The only time that they are in a tribute's favor is when that tribute has incredibly wealthy sponsors. I glare at her as she moves to the glass ball with the girls' names in it saying, "ladies first!" Even her bubbly personality disgusts me. The disgust is keeping me from being worried about something I shouldn't be worried about. But the crowd's anxious waiting is getting to me as Effie digs her hand into the ball and grabs a slip of paper. I am safe, I keep telling myself. I am safe. There is no way that my name is in the glass ball. Effie returns to the podium and smooths out the paper. She smiles and looks up. I am safe. "The female tribute from District Twelve is Snowden Caltrit!" My heart stops.

It takes a minute for me to get my breath back. All the girls in my section, all the kids, turn to look at me. Of course they are going to know that I am the one who is supposed to go up there. I can feel the eyes of the younger ones on my back. I take a deep breath and walk down the makeshift path, my back stiff and straight. I am fighting to keep the fear from my face. Haymitch looks at me as I mount the stage. I can see that he recognizes me. How? I don't know or really care at this point. Right now, we are both understanding that my coming here was a ploy to make sure that I was here to hear my name be called to go into the Arena. Effie calls for volunteers. Of course, no one does. I have watched the Reaping too many times to know how it is in Districts like Twelve. Haymitch staggers forward. I can see anger in his drunken eyes.

"Look at this one!" He yells. How is he managing this when he is drunk off his ass? I'll have to ask him later since I can smell the liquor on his breath and him as he wraps an arm around me. It feels protective. "I like her! She's strong! Look, no tears! Lot's of …" he pauses to think of the word. "Courage!" He yells in triumph. "More than you!" The arm is gone and Haymitch is pointing at the camera. "More than you!" He is shouting. Is he addressing Twelve or is he drunk enough to be yelling at the Capitol? Or is he yelling at those in Thirteen. I know they will be watching the recap of the Reapings so they can see who is going to be dying this year. If he is yelling at Thirteen, then he has seen me. I often run around the place to keep in shape and doing errands for Coin. Whoever he is yelling at is never revealed as he falls from the stage at the same time he opens his mouth again. With the cameras on him, I have the chance to blink away the tears that have finally made it to my eyes. Then Effie is grabbing a slip from the middle of the boys' bowl and zipping back to the podium while Haymitch is whisked away.

"Gale Hawthorne!" She calls. I look into the crowd and see a girl with eyes a darker grey than mine and black hair pale a little bit. Then I turn my attention to the boy, more like young man, walking up onto the stage. He is eighteen and he has the same coloring as the girl I just saw. They could be siblings. I wonder if they are. She calls for volunteers, but no one does. I see him give a stern look to a clump of younger boys, a group of siblings I guess. Then the mayor starts the Treaty of Treason. I don't listen as my mind goes back to hearing my name.

Coin said I was safe. I wasn't going to be chosen to go into the Arena. My name was not supposed to be in that ball. But it was. Wasn't there a council a few months back? Yes. A council of those at Thirteen. I wasn't allowed to know what about, but I had heard hushed whispers that they needed a figure head for the coming fight. They were getting ready to attack again and they needed someone to unite the people of Panem. It should have been someone from the Districts, like the boy that was chosen to go with me into the Arena. Maybe they did decide to choose someone from the Districts and I'm just a messenger. No, they know that I will fight to stay alive, like I have been all my life. They have chosen me to be their figure head. Well they have another thing coming. I'm not going to be used as a figure head. I will lead Thirteen at Coin's side. She's already promised that I would be her successor if she died before this was resolved. We saw each other as family, the only family each other had. Did she argue against my being chosen? Or is she the one who suggested my name? She knows that I am afraid of the Arena. I have watched the Games too many times to not be afraid. The Games are what we are fighting to stop. And I have been chosen to be that figure head. Not to mention, I have to pretend that I am from Twelve. Haymitch had better be sober when I next see him. I'm going to need his help.

The mayor motions for me and Gale to shake hands. We do and the anthem plays as we turn to face the crowd again. The moment the anthem ends, we are marched into the justice building and taken to separate rooms. They're for good-byes. I won't have any of those. I don't have anyone to miss me except for Coin and she's gone. I assume it's near time for us to be taken to the train when someone comes in the door. They are given ten minutes since that is all the time that is left. From the build, I can tell that it is a man. He removes his hat.

"Boggs!" I greet happily and hug him. If Coin is my mother, then Boggs is my father. He taught me everything I know, including how to fight. "Boggs, what is going on? Coin said that my names wasn't supposed to be in the ball."

"She had to say that." He tells me sadly. "The council boiled it down to three options. Choose whoever won these Games; pick a candidate from the Districts and manipulate them, or choose their own candidate. They decided to choose their own. There was a late night election and your name came up the most. So she had to tell you what was necessary to make sure you were in Twelve for the Reaping. She fought with the council over it for hours. In the end, she had to go with what the people of Thirteen wanted."

"Then why did she send you?"

"To protect you. And to talk to Haymitch. He does have some information. Also, she wanted me to give you this." He pulls out a silver chain with a mythical creature on it. It's a dragon. No one else knows what it is. It is a private thing between the three of us. Not to mention I doubt the higher ups would appreciate that she spent so much money on me. "She knows how much you like these creatures." He clasps the chain around my neck and makes sure that the dragon is looking at the world. "I have to go back to Thirteen now and make my report. I got lucky. I was able to talk to Haymitch before the Reaping. Telling him about you is what got him more drunk than he should have been. He's promised to take care of you while you are in the Arena. You have to win, Snowden. This all rests on you now." He turns to go before the Peacekeepers can interrupt us.

"Boggs," he turns to me, "if I die and Gale wins, choose Gale. He had younger brothers who wanted to volunteer for him. I get the sense that he would have volunteered for them had they been picked." He nods and it is time for him to leave. I let a few tears fall as I watch him go. Him and Coin have been the only family I have ever known. Now I may never see them again.

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**What do you think? I have got plans for this fic and I hope you will stick with me for them. Thanks for reading and please please please review**


	2. Child of the Capitol

**Going to break away from Snowden for a chapter and reveal some things to you, the readers. Enjoy!**

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_**Coin:**_

She watched the screen and scowled. This had not been her idea, but they needed someone they could trust to win the Games. Haymitch had wanted to just let a kid from Twelve be the one. She just wanted one who could be a leader and that they could get on their side. It had been a council's decision to send Snowden in. The black haired, snow-gray eyed girl had a lot of fight in her. She had been brought to Thirteen as a baby, orphaned by the sudden disappearance of her parents. She had raised Snowden herself, naming her for her eyes. Snowden was strong and confident and didn't let anyone bully her. She knew that the girl would hate that she had been lied to, but Coin knew her fear of the Games and so the lie had been necessary.

_"Why did the council have to choose you, Snowden? I know you are strong and capable, but this isn't what you wanted. You were raised here in Thirteen. You don't know the Districts. How are they supposed to follow you when you're not even one of them?"_

"The female tribute from District Twelve is Snowden Caltrit!" Coin pressed her lips into a thin line. She had to watch, like the parents, as the child she had raised was placed into a life and death situation. What made it worse was that it was a recap of what had happened earlier since they could not get a live feed earlier. She wished she could have been there to give the necklace to her foster daughter. She hoped that Boggs had been able to talk to her before she left.

_"Make me proud, Snowden. Show the council that they will regret wanting you as their figurehead."_ She watched as the people of Twelve made a path was made for the stranger in their midst and Snowden walked it, back straight. _"This is wrong. She should not have to go into that place. What is going to happen when Snow sees her?" _She pressed her lips into a thin line. She wasn't supposed to let herself get into those thoughts. If she was thinking them and she slipped, everyone would know that Snowden wasn't technically an orphan. The door opened and she was about to turn off the monitor when Haymitch staggered toward Snowden.

"Look at this one!" She could hear the anger in his voice as he yelled and wrapped an arm around Snowden. Coin watched, mesmerized. "I like her! She's strong! Look, no tears! Lots of…courage! More than you!" Coin involuntarily stepped back as Haymitch pointed at the camera. Somehow, she knew that he was talking to her and the council. "More than you! More than you!" Then he fell off the stage. Coin watched long enough to know the other tribute's name and then turned off the monitor. She turned to see who had joined her in the room.

"Somehow, it's worse watching it a second time." Boggs said.

"So you were able to get there in time."

"In plenty of time. He wasn't that drunk when I met him. He must have drunk more after I told him what the council had decided."

"Were you at least able to talk to her?"

"I was. And I gave her the necklace and I told her the truth about why she was really there. She didn't like it, but she seemed to understand. She has a message to that she thinks the council should hear."

"Oh?"

"She said that if she were to die and her counterpart were to win, that we should choose him to replace her."

"But she's not going to die."

"She's prepared for the possibility." Boggs said and then looked critically at his president. He could tell that something was bothering her. "Coin," she didn't say anything. "I haven't said anything before and that's because I didn't care. But ever since the council decided that Snowden should be the one to unite the Districts like they want, you've been tense."

"You've seen me tense before."

"Yes, I have. But this is worse than before. There is something that you're not telling me. Something about Snowden."

"What makes you think it's about her?"

"You've never been this nervous about our other agents. What makes her so special in your eyes? And you can't say that it's because you raised her because you've hardly been an influence on her life."

"That's because you never saw us together. I did have an influence on her life. I taught her how to think. How to get information from people. Everything she knows, she learned from you and me."

"Then why are you worried?"

"Because of where she is going."

"You've sent her into the Capitol before."

"But not like this."

"Besides her going into the Arena, what makes this trip so different?"

"This trip, she'll be seen by Snow. I've worked hard to keep her out of his line of sight and one small election has placed her right there, where I didn't want her to be." Boggs grabbed his commander and turned her to face him.

"Why is that such a big deal, Alma Coin? Why have you worked so hard to keep her hidden until now? Even during the council, you sided with Haymitch which is something you hardly ever do."

"You really want to know." Boggs nodded. "Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to take it to your grave. No one else knows. Eighteen years ago, I went into the Capitol on a reconnaissance mission. I was there for a year before I was employed as a midwife for the president's daughter. She was pregnant and no one in the Capitol really knew how to deliver a baby and the ones who did were afraid of the president at the time. So I was there when the child was born. It was a baby girl. The mother was young and became sick the next day. The president decided that he would care for the girl while her mother recovered. I don't know what happened to the mother, but I knew that the baby could be used against her grandfather if raised right. At the time, I was still working for the president, taking care of the newborn as best I could. When I disappeared, so did the baby. The people here think that she was an abandoned orphan. But she's not. She's a stolen child raised to think like us, the enemy of her real family."

"That baby is not Snowden. Snowden was found out in the woods."

"That's because that's where I left her to be found. I couldn't exactly show back up with the granddaughter of my enemy in my arms now could I? No, I had to have her found by the guard. It worked out well. She was brought to me here in the command center and we took her in."

"Coin, are you trying to tell me that Snowden is Snow's granddaughter."

"There's no trying about it. I am telling you. Snowden Caltrit is President Snow's granddaughter. And I am afraid he is going to recognize her the moment he sees her." Boggs looked at her and frowned, knowing the full extent of the danger his adopted daughter was in.

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_**Haymitch:**_

_"Damn council." _He thought as he took another drink from his private flask. _"Any fool can see that she is a Capitol child. I knew some didn't agree with the Games. But I never thought that any would be fool enough to let leave their child in Thirteen by themselves. Look at the trouble this one's in now. And now I have to make sure she stays alive because the council wants to use her. One thing's for damn sure. She won't be used like someone else would be. Eh, they'll see their mistake soon enough."_ A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"What do you want?" He yelled through the door.

"Dinner is ready, Sir." The attendant replied and walked away. Haymitch growled and drank some more from his flask. He knew that he should be sober. He had an obligation to keep the girl alive.

_"She had better be a fighter. She looks like it. Not to mention that I remember seeing her run around the compound the last time I was there. She was smaller then. I wish I had gotten to talk to Boggs again before we left. Maybe he got to talk to her and she knows more than I do."_ He took another long draught from his flask and contemplated going to the dining car. He didn't particularly like Effie. Her personality was too cheery for a funeral pageant. _"Then again, she doesn't really care about who dies. She just wants a District that will get her some recognition. Hell, she inherited me and I've done everything I could to make her life hell. I wonder how much more I can accomplish before this trip is over." _He chuckled and took another long swallow, imagining all the ways that he could ensure Effie didn't have a good trip.

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_**Snow:**_

He watched the television and the recap of the reapings. He did this every year so he would know what to say to the children when they were in the City Circle in a few days. It needed to be scripted. He couldn't let them know that he could care less if they lived or died. This was just a way for him to show his power over the people of Panem. He watched with amusement as the people of Twelve made a path for the one that was going up onto the stage. He watched closely as she turned and faced the camera. The announcers commented on the fierce look on her face which was obviously a mask to hide her fear. President Snow, on the other hand, thought that he was going to have a heart attack. He knew those eyes. His daughter had had those same eyes before she died of grief. Her daughter had been stolen from them just days after her birth, while his own daughter was sick.

He didn't pay attention to the male tribute, but watched as she was ushered into the building behind her and then onto the train that would take her to the Capitol. The only thing on his mind was that his granddaughter, if it was truly her, would be going into the Arena where there was a good chance she would die.

_"How did she end up in Twelve? She shouldn't have been there. She was supposed to be here. Snowden? We never did get the chance to name her. But those eyes. They could be from Twelve, but I know they're not. I looked into those snow-grey eyes every day for years. Snowden Caltrit," _he thought to the picture of her on the television, _"you are coming home, I'll make sure you win. Welcome home."_

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**So, you all know the truth. hehehehe, looking forward to your reviews. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Train Ride

**Review Response: Elves are Awesome, no, Coin and Boggs are not married but they both raised Snowden and both of them see her as a daughter. ColMikeFuser, you are waaaaaayyyyyy ahead of me on that one. You'll just have to wait and see what happens. Hehehe.**

**Enjoy!**

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I strip off the dress I wore into the District and dig through the drawer. The dress is just going to remind me of who sent me here, not that I am likely to forget in a hurry. The damn council ruined my life. I was set to go back to Thirteen after the Reaping. But they had to force Coin to trick me. And they expect me to win. How the hell am I going to pull this off? I don't even know what I need to do once I get into the Capitol. This isn't like the other times that I've been there. This time, I'll be the center of attention. And Gale. What am I going to do about him? There can only be one winner. I know for sure that he is going to fight like hell to get back to his family. If that does happen to be the case, it'll be me and him in the end. If I am to go through with the plan, I will have to kill him. Or I can let him be used as a puppet.

I sigh and pull out a dark blue shirt and pants and take a shower. I need to talk to Haymitch. He'll know what to do. About thirty minutes after my shower, Effie comes to collect me for supper. I go, reluctantly. I really don't want to be around people at the moment. But Effie won't leave me alone, so I have to go. We enter the dining room and Gale is there, waiting. Haymitch is nowhere in sight.

"Where's Haymitch?" Effie asks brightly. I want to puke.

"Last time I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap." Gale answers as he fiddles with his fork.

"Well, it's been an exhausting day." Ha! What's been exhausting about it for you, Effie? I bite my tongue to keep from saying the words that want to come out. I look at Gale. His eyes tell me that he's thinking the same thing. Effie wasn't taken from her family and the only home she's ever known. She doesn't have to put on a brave face before being sent to her death. She wouldn't last a minute in either of our worlds. I don't get a chance to say anything as supper arrives. The first course, a thick carrot soup, arrives. Then it's a green salad followed by lamb chops and mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit, and chocolate cake to top it off. I hear Effie make a comment about our table manners when we're eating the lamb and I struggle to continue to use my fork. Gale, on the other hand, puts down his fork and knife and finishes the meal with his hands. I grin but don't follow his example. I've learned the hard way to never be without a weapon and right now, the fork was the best one I had. I had hidden my knife in my boots which are hidden under my bed since I let Effie talk me into wearing some sort of flat slipper to dinner.

We finish our meal and I feel like I'm going to puke and it's not from Effie's bubbly personality. In Thirteen, we are on strict rations. This is the most I've ever eaten in my life. We go into another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings. I watch and memorize each face as they are called or volunteer. A red haired girl from Five is flagged in my memory. She can be dangerous, just like the Careers. Finally, they are showing District Twelve. I find myself easily in the crowd. My name is called and my heart stops again, as if I am there again for real. What makes it worse is I know that it already happened since I am sitting on a fancy couch watching what happened only hours ago. We watch as the children turn to look at me and then make a path for me. I walk with my back stiff as a board and mount the stage. I instantly take notice of the fierce look on my face and chuckle inside as the commentators say it is a mask to hide my fear. They are partially right. In that moment, I'm mad as hell at the council. Then Haymitch staggers forward and I can tell that he is talking to the council and Coin. He saw me during my days in Thirteen when he would visit. I barely notice the program has ended before Effie is speaking, again.

"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior." She says. Gale laughs.

"He was drunk. He's drunk every year."

"Every day." I add and smirk. He was always drunk when I saw him, the few times that I did anyway.

"Yes," Effie hisses and I smirk even more. Finally gotten rid of that damn bubbly personality, eh Effie. "How odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and death!" Like you care, Effie. Haymitch chooses that moment to stagger into the compartment.

"I miss supper?" He slurs before vomiting and then falling into it.

"So laugh away!" Effie says as she flees the room. Gale and I watch Haymitch for a few minutes before coming to an unspoken agreement. We pick him up and half-lead, half-carry him back to his room. We dump him into the bathtub and turn the shower on him. I wash my hands off in the sink and then leave. I am not fucking dealing with cleaning him up. In all honesty, Gale probably won't either. He doesn't strike me as the all-caring type.

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"What?" I call at the door. I haven't been able to sleep even though I had officially gone to bed hours ago. The door opens and a soberish Haymitch walks in. I look out the window and he sits on my bed since I'm in the only chair in the room.

"What do you think of this plan?" He asks.

"I wish I had been told. I may not have liked it, but if I had been told straight out what was to be done, I would have done it without question. Having to be tricked makes it worse than I could have ever imagined. I went to the reaping thinking that I was safe, Haymitch. It was supposed to be a little girl, twelve years old, that was supposed to be reaped for the Games. When my name was pulled out," I don't finish. He knows how it felt. He went through the same thing. I breathe and then look at him. "So what's the plan?" I ask.

"Stay alive. They want you to be the symbol of the rebellion when it finally happens. So, we have to give the people someone they can follow into the fight. How are you holding up?"

"Fine." I start to fiddle with the necklace Boggs gave me. It's a small comfort, but it's enough.

"Get some sleep." Haymitch says as he stands up. "Tomorrow, the Games continue."

"But I thought,"

"Snowden, the Games started the moment you were reaped. The Games don't start once you're in the arena. They start when the tributes are reaped. The train ride is only a reprieve. After this, you'll be training or on camera trying to win sponsors. Get some sleep." He walks out and I crawl back into bed. It seems like only a few minutes before Effie is rapping on my door to wake me up. I groan and try to imagine life in her head for a moment. The image I get makes me want to puke again. The woman is too bright and bubbly for me, a girl who's grown up in Thirteen where no one is ever happy. I get up and put back on the dark blue outfit I had worn last night. I quickly tie back my hair with a hair tie on the dresser and then walk to the dining car. Effie brushes past me, a cup of coffee in her hand, sipping it while muttering obscenities under her breath. I chuckle at this new side of her. I notice that Haymitch is chuckling to and Gale looks a little red. I have an idea about what was said and chuckle again. "Sit down! Sit down!" Haymitch says to me. By the look of his face, he drunk more after our talk last night. I catch him adding spirits to the red juice in his glass as I eat my food, ignoring the coffee and hot chocolate in favor of the orange juice.

"So," Gale says, "you're supposed to give us advice." I look at Haymitch. He's supposed to be sober for me, the hope of Thirteen.

"Here's some advice. Stay alive." Haymitch answers and then laughs. He said the same thing to me last night, but now, it seems like he's making a mockery of it. And this is supposed to be the man who is going to help me win the Games.

"That's very funny." I say, only there's a murderous venom to my voice and I see Gale flinch slightly. But he recovers and knocks the glass from Haymitch's hand. The red liquid runs toward the back of the train.

"Just not to us." Gale finishes. Haymitch looks at his spilled drink a moment and then punches Gale, sending him from his chair. Haymitch reaches for the spirits and I drive a knife between his hand and the bottle, getting close to his fingers. He pales a little as he meets my glare, as if remembering what Coin wants him to do. I, on the other hand, wait for the blow that I know is going to come. But he recovers from his fright and then sits back and squints at us.

"Well, it looks like I got a pair of fighters this year." Gale gets up from the floor and sits back down. I sit to and notice that Gale doesn't reach for any ice. Haymitch was right, the Games have begun. Gale knows that the bruise will think that he's already fought someone and not gotten caught. Haymitch nods in approval and turns to me. "What else can you do?" I pluck the knife from the table, balance it on my finger and then toss it behind me, landing it in the seam between two panels, right where I was aiming. I smirk. Gale looks at me in some shock. Maybe I went a little too far. "Stand over there. Both of you." We quickly obey and stand in the middle of the room. Haymitch circles us and prods us, examining us like we're something he is going to buy. "You're not entirely hopeless. Fit enough to survive harsh conditions. And once the stylists get a hold of you, you'll be attractive enough." He returns to the table. "All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you." He says. He looks at me quickly before glancing away. He's only saying this for Gale's benefit. The orders are to get me through the Games alive. "But you have to do exactly what I say."

"Fine." Gale and I say at the same time. Gale opens his mouth again and I walk over to the wall and my knife.

"One thing at a time." Haymitch interrupts as I pull the knife out of the wall. "We'll be pulling into the station in a few minutes. From there, you'll be put into the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. Don't resist." I turn sharply. This was not part of the plan.

"But-," I start.

"No buts." He says and picks up the bottle of spirits. "Don't resist." He leaves the car. As the door swings shut, the world outside goes dark. We're in the Capitol. I take a breath to steady myself. I've been here before, but always in the shadows. This time, I'll be in the light and the center of attention.

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**Hehehe, thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Old Friends in Dangerous Places

**Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

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I grit my teeth and listen to the ripping sounds my hairs make as they are torn from my leg. I have promised myself that I am not going to cry in front of these people, no matter how much they hurt me. And no matter how much I want to puke with their high voices and mouths that barely open when they talk.

"Sorry!" Venia, an aqua haired woman with gold tattoos above her eyebrows, says as she pulls the strip away. "You're just so hairy!" I roll my eyes before looking at her. I'm surprised to see a sympathetic face. "Good news," she continues. "This is the last one. Ready?" I grip the edges of the table I am on and nod. What's left of my leg hair is ripped away with a painful jerk. I've been in the Remake Center for the past three hours, since we got off the train. My stylist has yet to make an appearance. I guess he doesn't want to see me until my prep team, Venia and two others, are done getting rid of obvious problems. The solutions to these problems have been to be scrubbed down with a gritty foam that's removed the dirt along with what feels like three layers of skin, turn my nails into uniform shapes, and rid my body of practically all the hair on it. The only hair left on my body is what's on my head, my eyebrows, and in my nose. Other than that, I'm a fucking plucked bird.

"You're doing very well." Flavius, a guy with orange corkscrew hair and purple lipstick, says from behind me. "If it's one thing we can't stand, it's a whiner." A small curl dangles in the corner of my eye. He has been doing my hair for the past hour, possibly hour and a half, while Venia and Octavia, a plump woman with pea green skin, have been dehairing me and fixing my nails. "Grease her down!" Venia and Octavia rub me down with a lotion that starts to sooth my raw skin after an initial sting. I keep myself from sighing in relief and pleasure. Once they are done, I am forced off the table and they circle me, each armed with a pair of tweezers to remove any stray bits of hair. I'm naked in front of them, but that doesn't really bother me. These three don't actually count as people in my book, not the people I'm used to dealing with anyway. "Excellent! You look like a human being now." Flavius says and all three of them laugh. I look in the mirror. I look like a plucked bird about to be roasted. I force a smile onto my face.

"Thank you," I say sweetly. I want to puke at the sound of my own voice. "We don't have much cause to look nice in District Twelve." I keep myself from biting my lip. I almost said Thirteen. My words win them over completely.

"Of course you don't, you poor darling." Octavia says, sounding in distress for me.

"But don't worry," Venia jumps in. "By the time Cinna is through with you, you're going to be absolutely gorgeous." Cinna? Now why does that name sound familiar.

"We promise!" Flavius breaks my train of thought. "Let's call Cinna!" That name again. My prep teams darts out of the room and move to the mirror where my robe is hanging. The quick glance shows that my hair is in a high pony tail with a small section curled and moved in front of my face. It's the nicest it's ever looked. I usually just wear it tied back and my bangs held back with a clip. The door opens. I turn to see a young man in a simple black shirt and pants outfit, brown hair, and green and gold eyes. The gold is complimented by the gold eyeliner that has been applies lightly. Wait, green and gold eyes. We both pale and I jump for my robe, yanking it off the mirror and wrapping it around myself. Fuck me! I straighten the mirror and catch a glimpse of my face, now a lobster red.

"Snowden?" He asks.

"Hey, Cinna." I squeak out and I know I turn a brighter shade of red.

"What are you doing here?" The question drives away my embarrassment and I can look at him again. He steps back and I know I have a scowl on my face.

"Didn't you hear the council's decision? They decided to choose someone from among Thirteen to come and win the Games. They chose me. They want me to be the one who can unite the Districts against the Capitol." He sighs and I cross my arms over my chest, still slightly embarrassed. "You're not going to start drinking on me, are you? I already have a drunk on my hands and one is enough."

"No," he seemed about to say more but decided against it. "Well, I have to do my job. Take off the robe."

"W-what did you just ask?"

"I _told_ you to take off your robe. Whenever I've seen you in Thirteen, you've been running on some errand or another. I need to see what I have to work with." Reluctantly, I take off my robe and let him circle me. I have to keep myself from crossing my arms. Finally, I can put back on the robe. We walk into the sitting room and sit on opposite facing couches. He presses a button on the side of the table between us and our lunch, chicken and chunks of orange in a creamy sauce laid on white grain with green peas and onions and rolls shaped like flowers and some sort of honey colored pudding. I eat some of the chicken and we're silent a while as we eat. I know both of us are trying to forget about the fiasco in the other room. I had forgotten he had become a stylist and that he would be debuting at these Games. I knew his name sounded familiar. "So, Snowden," I look up at him. "For your costume, Portia, the stylist for Gale, and I are thinking to dress the two of you in complementary costumes. As you have been told, it is customary to reflect the flavor of the district."

And by flavor he means industry. Twelve's industry is coal. I remember some of the costumes that I've seen: skimpy outfits with hats and head lamps. One year, the tributes were completely naked and covered in black powder to show coal dust. He wouldn't dare, would he? "So, a coal miner's outfit?" I ask hopefully.

"No. The coal miner thing is overdone. You won't be remembered in that." He would dare. Of course he would dare. He's always liked to torture me. "So we're going to focus on the coal itself." I am going to kill him for this. "And what do we do with coal? We burn it." I look at him in shock. That's not what I expected. "You're not afraid of fire, are you Snowden?" He sees my expression and grins. He is so dead when I see him back in Thirteen.

* * *

"I'm going to kill you for this." I hiss at Cinna as he makes a small adjustment to my headdress. I'm dressed in a simple black unitard that covers me from ankle to neck, something I'm glad for after this morning's fiasco. In place of my boots, I'm wearing shining black leather boots that lace up to my knee. But it is the cape made of streams of orange, yellow, and red and the matching headpiece that has me nervous, and furious. Those are to be set on fire just before out chariot rolls onto the street.

"You'll be fine, Snowden. It's not real flame. Otherwise I would have your hair up in a bun or something like that." My hair had been left in the ponytail Flavius had put it in. "Snowden, the girl who was on fire." He says dreamily. I bite my lip to hide my fear. My friend has become a madman in my absence! Gale and his team join us and I'm just a bit relieved that he's dressed in an identical costume. I give him a once over and I can feel him do the same to me. Before we have a chance to say anything, Cinna and Portia whisk us to the bottom level of the Remake Center which is a giant stable. The opening ceremonies are about to start. I look at the tributes being loaded into their chariots as Cinna and Portia help us into our chariot that is drawn by four coal black horses. They arrange our bodies and the drape of our capes before moving off to consult with each other.

"What do you think?" I whisper to Gale. "About the fire I mean."

"I'll rip off your cape if you rip off mine." He answers through gritted teeth.

"Deal." I say, hoping that we can get them off without severe burns. Cinna is so dead for this. And then Haymitch is next. He's supposed to be keeping me alive and now I find myself dancing with death by fire. My thoughts are interrupted by the opening music blasting through the speakers. The doors slide open and District One rides out. We're about to ride out when Cinna appears with a lit torch.

"Here we go." He says and touches our capes with the torch before I can stop him. I wait for the heat, but there's only a tickling sensation, a very faint tickling sensation. He climbs in front of and lights the headdresses. "It works." He sighs in relief. I glare at him. Yup, so dead. "Heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you." He jumps down and shouts at us, gesturing for us to hold hands. Gale and I look at each other and debate it silently before taking each other's hands. We did make a deal with Haymitch after all. Those two are so dead when I get out of the arena. I glance at the screen and I gasp by how we look. We're breathtaking with the fire illuminating our faces and the trail of fire from our capes. In place of an actual smile, I smirk, making myself look confident. Gale's face remains impassive and I recognize a hunter's look in his eye. Someone tosses me a red rose. I catch it and give it a sniff before nodding in the general direction of the giver. As we reach the City Circle, I notice how tightly I'm holding onto Gale's hand. I'm surprised neither of us has cut off the other's circulation. I loosen my grip, but he holds tight.

"If you let go, I'll fall out of this thing." There's a pleading not to his voice so I hang onto his hand. Though, in this aspect, Cinna is cruel. It's not fair to show us as a united team and then put us in the arena to kill each other. We stop in front of President Snow's mansion where the president himself is standing on a balcony above us. He's a small man, thin with paper-white hair. He gives the official welcome and I can feel his eyes on me through the entire thing. Shouldn't he be looking at every tribute? I look up at him. Yup, he's staring right at me. But why? Maybe our costumes. Then we're riding into the Training Center. I let the smirk fall from my face as Cinna and Portia arrive and help us down from the chariot and carefully remove our capes and headdresses. Portia extinguishes them with a spray from a canister. I force my fingers from Gale's.

"Thanks for keeping hold of me." He says. "I was getting shaky there."

"It didn't show." I answer and walk to the elevators. I need sleep. Not to mention I might kill Cinna for this before he has a chance to work more of his magic on me.

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**Okay, I really, really, want to know what you guys thought of this chapter, so please, please, please review. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Training

**Hopefully this starts to get away from the book. And sorry for the late update!**

* * *

The moment the trainer releases us to the different station, I ditch Gale and go to the stations by myself. I don't care that they want us to be mentored together, we are not training together. There is still the chance that I will have to kill him in the Arena and he will try to kill me. Best not to let him see what I can do. I find it funny that Portia and Effie found it odd that Gale and I didn't know anything about each other. Of course, they don't know that I am from Thirteen, not Twelve, which is a good thing. If more than just our small circle knew where I'm really from, there is no way that I am leaving the Arena alive.

I decide to review my knowledge of knots and make sure that I still remember everything Boggs taught me back home. Just thinking about him makes me miss them and what I actually do. Being a spy is not easy, but it's something I can pull off being as young as I am. Once I'm satisfied, I go to the camouflage station and make sure that I can hide myself in the wild. I've never been out in the woods except for rare occasions when I needed to pick some berries. I look at the weapons as all the tributes head into the lunch hall off to the side of the gym. Gale sidles up next to me.

"What is going through your head?" He hisses in my ear. I turn to glare at him. "We promised Haymitch we would do what he said, no matter what." I snort and walk into the room ahead of him, heading straight for the food cart farthest from the Careers. He follows me, intent on following Haymitch's orders of us sticking together. As of right now, we are being coached together and I'm hating every minute of it. We sit together and I look at him sweetly and fear jumps to his eyes.

"I don't care what Haymitch said. But you should care about what I am about to tell you. I exploit weaknesses. So, if you don't want me to kill you the moment we step into the Arena, don't let me see your weaknesses and what you can do. Understand?"

"Clearly." He whispers and we eat in silence. There is no way I am working with this boy from Twelve. If I work with him, I don't know if I'll be able to kill him. That happened with one of my friends from Thirteen. He had been a spy for the Capitol and had tried to kill me during the trip back to Thirteen after a mission. We scuffled, but one of the other soldiers had to take the kill shot. Having friends is dangerous right now. I can't afford to have any. Not now. Not ever.

* * *

"What?" I demand as I walk into my room and find him glaring at me. I really want to take a shower. I'm sore as I spent the last half of the day wrestling with the assistant. He always got the upper hand on me, but I needed to appear like I didn't know what I was doing so I could get a low score and be forgotten about until the end.

"I thought you agreed to do whatever I said for you to do."

"I thought you were only saying that for his benefit. We both know that the orders are to get me out of the Arena alive. They want me as their symbol of rebellion." I pull the tie out of my hair.

"We need a backup in case you get yourself killed." Not likely that will happen. And I find it hard to believe that he cares enough if I'm killed. He just wants to make Gale feel better since they're from the same District. I remember again how it wasn't supposed to be me coming to the Capitol, but a little twelve year old girl. I wonder how things would have gone if the council hadn't interfered.

"What?" I hiss as I narrowly avoid being hit by Haymitch. He was talking and I wasn't paying attention. He had better be careful or I will be fighting him.

"I was telling you to stick to the plan. You were presented as a team during the opening ceremonies. You have to stay that way through the Games." I glare at him. He knows something that he isn't telling me.

"If I have to work with him, I'll have to be the one to kill him. It's better this way."

"Talk it over with him tomorrow. And don't ditch him!" How the hell does he know that I left Gale alone today? I got back up here before him. And I didn't recognize anyone else from Thirteen in the gym today. "Do you hear me, Snowden?"

"I hear you." I snarl. He nods and totters out of my room. I slam the door shut behind him and head for the shower.

* * *

I take care to avoid the hand-to-hand combat station on the second day of training and, per Haymitch's orders, stay with Gale. He says I should try shooting a bow. I try and fail miserably. Not that much of a surprise. I prefer a gun and a knife since that's what I was raised on. Next he takes me to the plants station and I learn the different plants. It annoys and scares me that he is making a large effort to ensure I survive. We don't talk much during lunch, except for a hushed conversation about being allies. Neither of us say it, but we both know that it won't happen. I've already threatened to kill him there and I know he will try to kill me as well. What the hell was Haymitch thinking?

Back on the floor, Effie and Haymitch grill us about the day's events. I missed this little session last night as I refused to come out of my room for dinner after the conversation with Haymitch. After the session, Effie leaves us alone. Soon after, Gale leaves and it's just me and Haymitch.

"Happy now?" I snap, wishing that I had a glass of wine with me now. But the last time I had some, it turned me upside down for two days and tomorrow are the private sessions with the Gamemakers.

"No," he answers.

"What did I do wrong now?" I look at him and debate throwing his glass of wine across the room. My patience is running thin with this man.

"Do you know how to survive?"

"I've survived my whole life. What do you think we do? Sit around and twiddle our thumbs while we wait for information. I've been here countless times, hiding in the shadows while you get your tributes killed." This has the desired effect and he tries to strike me. I grab his wrist and use his momentum to launch him across the dining room. He leans against the wall a moment, just looking at me. I don't take my eyes from him either. Both of us are breathing heavily from the small fight, him from lack of exercise and me out of anger. "Convinced I can survive? Or do you need a spy in the gym to tell you that I can?"

"Get out of here." He says quietly, but since the only sound is the two of us breathing, I hear him. I look at him a moment longer before turning on my heel and walking out to find Gale in the hallway. I try to ignore him, but he follows me and stops me before I can get into my room.

"Come on." With the adrenaline leaving my body, I let myself be led to the roof. Cinna showed it to me that first night to calm me down from nearly killing him. These last few days, I've had a temper that I can't explain and know that I've never shown before. Maybe I'm just stressed.

"What do you want?" I ask as I sit in the garden area.

"Just to talk."

"I don't want to."

"What happened with Haymitch?" I don't answer. I can't answer. He can't know where I'm really from and what I can really do. Tomorrow, I plan on showing the Gamemakers that I can win a hand-to-hand combat match with one of the biggest assistants in the bunch. He's not that much bigger than Boggs and I've beaten Boggs plenty of times.

"It's nothing, just forget about it."

"You threw him across the room." He argues. I chuckle lightly.

"We lost our tempers." I say. "Look, Gale, I'm tired and want to sleep." I stand up and go to my room. My dreams are filled with images of Coin looking at me with loathing and contempt as if I've betrayed her.

* * *

I wake up to the sun shining in my face. I dress and meet Gale for a quick breakfast before we return to the gym. We spend the morning throwing spears and him trying to get me back to the archery station. I barely listen to him as I am looking at the Gamemakers to see if I recognize one. After my fight with Haymitch last night, I know that I need a good score in order to get sponsors. I already plan to prove that I can fight well enough, but I need a sympathetic Gamemaker on my side and that would only come from a spy from Thirteen. But I never met with them personally when I came here as a spy to get information from them.

Too soon, it's time for lunch and for the private sessions. Supposedly being from Twelve, Gale and I go last. I will be the very last one since they call the boy tribute and then the girl. Which spells trouble for me. I'll be the last one to go before the Gamemakers and I know for sure that they'll be more interested in getting home than looking at me. When Gale is finally called, I am left alone and I start rethinking my strategy. I can always lose the match and let them give me a low score so I will be forgotten. But that can backfire and the Careers will hunt me down. Though, that would be trouble for them as I will kill them on sight. But a better score will get me sponsors and I need those if I'm going to get through the Games. So I have to win the match. Fifteen minutes later, I'm called in. I look at the Gamemakers. I can tell by their faces that they are ready to be done with this part of the Games. Well, might as well make it something to remember.

A few heads look at me a little more closely as I select the biggest opponent possible. We start the match. The assistant aims for the places I usually let myself get hit. I avoid the blows easily and respond in kind, every one of my blows hitting. He manages to get me on my back and tries to kick me. I roll out of the way and jump back up onto my feet, kicking him in the knees on my way up. He falls and I whip out the knife I grabbed on my way in. He freezes. I've won the match. After a few moments, I let him go and he leaves the gym. I turn to look at the Gamemakers. There are a few nodding in approval. The rest, including one that's starting to look familiar, are more focused on the arrival of a roasted pig. I have been upstaged by a fucking pig! Well, they need a knife. Might as well provide them with one. I toss the knife up, catch it by the blade and throw. It lands right in the pig's neck, just below a hand reaching for the apple in the pig's mouth. There are shouts of surprise and a few stumble back, including one, the familiar one, falling into the punch bowl. I walk out without saying anything.

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**Well? Thanks for reading and please review**


	6. All About Personalities

**Review Response: I love making the Gamemakers look stupid. That's the best part. ColMikeFuser, that's an interesting comparison. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I sigh in relief and frustration as I strip and step into the shower as has become my custom here for right before dinner. I'm frustrated because I finally lost my temper. I shouldn't have lost it. Losing my temper is going to get me killed in the Arena if I'm not careful. I know that Haymitch won't be happy about it. I'm supposed to be trying to stay alive. Oh well. It's not like the mission is in jeopardy. They can't replace or punish me without revealing what happened in the private sessions and that just isn't allowed. At least it will show them that I am here to compete. I will win this year and they will be hard pressed to kill me.

Soon enough, Effie is calling me to dinner and I pull my semi dry hair into a messy bun. I join everyone at the table and start eating my food in silence. Cinna and Portia are waiting and Cinna avoids my eyes for a moment. I know it's because he is still embarrassed about our reunion. Not to mention that I am still a little mad that he put me in a flaming costume for the opening ceremonies. Twelve just might need a new stylist before these Games are over. The adults make small talk while Gale and I communicate without saying a word. I can see in his eyes that he lost his temper to. Though, I doubt he shot an arrow at the Gamemakers today. I threw a knife, something they won't be forgetting easily. Finally, Haymitch opens his mouth.

"How bad were the two of you today?" I try not to growl at the implication. Doesn't he know that I don't look down on myself? There's a reason the council chose me to come here instead of letting someone else come. I see a similar look on Gale's face and know that I read his expression right. We both lost our tempers and attacked the Gamemakers.

"What did you do?" I ask him. This makes the table go quiet.

"You first." He says and I shake my head. He's not getting out of it that easy. He scowls. "I shot a light above the Gamemakers." He says bluntly and Effie drops her fork. I smirk. That's not as bad as mine. "They dismissed me after that." That would explain why I had some attention.

"And you?" Haymitch turns to me and I look at everyone around me. Suddenly, I'm not feeling so confident in what I did.

"I threw a knife at them and that stupid roasted pig! I think I nearly caught a hand."

"What did they say to you?" Portia and Cinna ask at the same time.

"I don't know and I don't care."

"What do you mean?" Effie asks, the shock evident in her voice.

"I walked out without being dismissed." Effie makes a little sound in her throat and I continue eating. After a few moments, Gale speaks up.

"Aren't you worried that they'll arrest you?"

"No. If anything, they'll punish me in the Arena. That way they save face." A sharp kick from Haymitch and a glance from Cinna tell me I need to watch what I am saying.

"What about your family?" Gale asks.

"I'm an orphan with no siblings."

"What did they're faces look like?" Haymitch asks, turning the conversation away from me. Smart. I smirk.

"Terrified. Shocked. And one of them fell into the punch bowl." Hyamitch breaks out into hearty laughter. The mood changes from tense to somewhat jovial as we eat and talk. After we have eaten, we go into the sitting room to watch the scores. There are very few low scores. A little girl from Eleven, a small dark skinned thing, gets a seven. I think her name is Rue. Next is Twelve's turn. Gale said he shot at a light above the Gamemakers so I can base my score off of what he gets. Underneath his picture, they're flashing the number eleven. There's cheering for him for a moment and I know that I will be getting the same if not the highest score. My picture is up on the screen and a twelve is flashing underneath it a moment later. I am numb to the congratulations, wondering what Coin is thinking about my score. Will she know that I lost my temper during my private session? Doubt it. Boggs will know though. He's the only one to have ever really seen me lose my temper before. Maybe that's what got me chosen for this assignment. That's all this is now, an assignment that I have to complete. I see Cinna grinning at something Haymitch must have said and glare. He doesn't back down and I know that he is envisioning my interview dress. If it gets set on fire again, I am going to kill him. Once the television is turned off, I head to my room and go to bed. Tomorrow, we get to start practicing for out interviews. Then, the Games truly begin. A thought crosses my mind as I fall asleep. This uneasy friendship with Gale needs to end. It's not real and will only be in the way.

* * *

When I walk into the dining room in the morning, Effie and Haymitch are sitting at the table. Perfect. I fill my plate with food and join them. After a few minutes, I decide to speak. "Things need to change." I say. The adults look at me. "I don't want to be working with Gale anymore. It's bad enough that you've presented us as a team for the most part. It's not fair to him and me, especially when, in all likelihood, we'll have to kill each other in a few days." Effie is nodding as if this is something common she encounters. Haymitch, on the other hand, is looking at me with some sort of relief in his eyes. He doesn't have to pretend that he's going to help Gale anymore. Though, I know he will. That's how these things work. Haymitch will be more loyal to Gale than to me since they are from the same District. The only reason he has to favor me is because of what the council in Thirteen has decided. In another life, we could have all been friends, possibly.

"Okay," he says. "Separate it is." I nod and turn back to my food as Gale enters the room. He piles his plate with food and joins us at the table. We eat in silence a while and I can tell Gale is uncomfortable. Usually, we are talking about what is going to happen, but since I changed things, that's not happening.

"You don't have to wait on me to talk strategy." Gale offers as he takes a bite from his plate. I look at Haymitch and he clears his throat.

"There's been a change of strategy." He announces. Gale raises an eyebrow. "Snowden would like to be coached alone." I watch Gale for his reaction and see a flash of betrayal in his eyes. Seriously, he's betrayed? He knew that sooner or later this fake friendship would have to end. Is he jealous that I ended it before he could?

"Then what's the plan?" Jeez, he even sounds betrayed.

"The two of you will be coached for your interviews. Four hours each with myself and Effie. Effie will be coaching you on presentation and I will be coaching you on content. Snowden, you get to start with Effie." I glare at him and he grins. He knows the woman annoys the hell out of me. After we finish breakfast, Effie and I go to my room where she puts me in ridiculously high heels and a full length dress. The hardest part is balancing in the shoes. But I manage it, somehow, without getting too much scowling from Effie. She's pleased with my posture as I don't avoid eye contact with her and sit with my back straight. If only she knew I was raised as a soldier and a spy. Just goes to show how stupid these people really are. Finally, I am released for lunch and we join Haymitch and Gale at the table. From the way they are glaring at each other, the session didn't go well. That doesn't give me much confidence, but then I remember what the commentators said during the Reapings. I looked fierce. Will Cinna help me pull off that angle?

After lunch, Haymitch and I disappear into the sitting room. He has me sit on the couch and looks at me, frowning. I meet his gaze and don't back down from it. I know from watching past Games that not many female tributes go for a fierce approach in the interviews.

"Are you going to say something or not?" I finally snap. I'm still in the dress the Effie put me into and it's beginning to be uncomfortable.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with you. You and Gale have similar personalities."

"And that makes finding an angle for me a problem because?" I leave the question hanging, lacing the venom in my voice. I smirk when I see the light bulb over his head.

"You know, you've got fire. You weren't even close to crying when you were called onto that stage. And you've never once backed down from the fight." He starts firing off questions and I answer back with the same ferocity that I've shown since I was betrayed by the council back in Twelve. By the end of the session, he seems happy with our progress. Now, it's Cinna's turn.

* * *

I wake up to find my prep team hovering above me. They must have been told to make me look as fierce as possible because I'm seeing a lot of dark reds in make-up kit in Octavia's hands. I wonder what the dress will look like. I don't talk and just wait. Finally, once the team is done with my make-up and hair and nails, Cinna comes in with the covered dress. He blushes a little at my nakedness and I only glare. After a moment, he tells me to close my eyes and I do. The silk is light and I'm wondering what Cinna has made. Octavia helps me into heels, two inches lower than the ones I wore yesterday, and then their adjusting the fit. Finally, I am able to open my eyes. I gasp. I don't recognize the girl looking back at me. Her face is covered with a mask of dramatic reds, giving her a fierce look. Her black hair is framed around her face with streams of red and orange braided into it. The dress is a mixture of reds and oranges that makes her look like a living flame. I twist to see the back and notice that the dress glimmers in some places, making the flame look alive. Cinna has me walk around and I am glad that he's made the dress in a way that I don't have to worry about holding the skirt out of my way.

Too soon, I am parading onto the stage with the other twenty-three other tributes. I get my breathing under control and focus on my angle. I am fierce. I am a spy. I am a soldier. Everything that I am is what I have to show to these people, to get them to sponsor me. I look towards the raised seating and see Cinna in the front row. Caesar Flickerman, the forever host of the Hunger Games, takes the stage, his hair dyed powder blue for these Games. He tells a few jokes and then the interviews start. I look at Gale and see that he is calm. I wonder what angle they decided for him. Rue and Thresh from Eleven make an impression, Rue with her innocence and Thresh with sullen hostility. Finally, it's my turn. I step up to Caesar and he shakes my hand and we sit in the chairs.

"So, Snowden, that's a strange name."

"My mother named me for it for my eyes." I answer. It's direct and short.

"That's something I would like to ask you. I noticed that you weren't crying when you were selected to enter the Games. Why is that?"

"My father taught me. He said that I couldn't be afraid, no matter what happened. Those were his last words to me." I don't know where it comes from, but I do remember Coin telling me about a plague that swept through Twelve years ago. It would explain why I was a stranger in Twelve that day.

"Yes, I can see it. Most tributes would be nervous,"

"There's nothing to be nervous about." I interrupt, venom in my voice. I'm starting to get annoyed with this mindless banter.

"So, you're the first tribute to ever get a twelve in training. I bet it was you personality, Snowden. Be careful that it doesn't melt you." He and the crowd laughs and I smirk. Figures he would make a joke with my name.

"Do you have anything else to ask me?" I ask, cutting his laughter short. I'm playing it up with the angle Haymitch and I decided on. Though, I am trying to keep my temper in check and I know it's beginning to show. But that's what we wanted, right?

"I do have one last thing. Who are you going to win for?" The question catches me off guard so much that I almost give away why I am truly here. But just thinking about the damn council gives me a new answer.

"I'm doing it for me." There is venom in my voice and everyone can hear it. "To prove to myself that Dad was right to believe in me. And to bring Twelve a victor, something they haven't had since Haymitch. The cameras immediately zero in on my mentor. He waves them back towards me, but I do notice a gleam of anger towards me. I smirk.

"So, tell me about the twelve. What did you do to get?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Do you ask this all the time?" I ask. "You know I can't tell you about that. Right?" I direct the question at the Gamemakers and the one who fell into the punch bowls answers.

"She's not!" I look back at Caesar and shrug. The buzzer goes off.

"Best of luck, Snowden Caltrit, tribute from District Twelve." I make it back to my seat and Gale takes the seat I just vacated. Caesar tries to get him to talk, but he stays silent and answers the questions curtly. This must be how he usually is and I can't help but think that it's attractive. He's a guy after my own heart. Then, "So, Gale what do you think of your fellow tribute?"

"She's okay. I don't know much about her. I didn't even know she existed until the Reaping."

"What do you think of her outfit?" Is that a blush on his cheeks? Please let me be the only one who's seeing this.

"It matches her personality." Gale says and then the buzzer goes off. Gale returns to his seat beside me and I notice, as the anthem plays, that the cameras are focused on us. The crowd has a thought going their heads and I know it's because of what he said. What does that mean for me?

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**Thanks for reading and please review! Also, I got a review question for ya'll. Say I was to go into Gale's POV for some of the chapters, what would you like to see in them if you want them at all?**


	7. The Night Before

**I'll be starting different POV's next chapter, promise. Enjoy!**

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"Are you kidding me?" I hiss at Haymitch. Cinna looks back at us as they head for the table. I had held Haymitch back to talk to him about Gale's final comment. "That's the angle you came up for him?"

"That wasn't me, Sweetheart." I glare. "We hadn't even prepared for that. You saw how the question caught him off guard."

"I saw the blush rising to his cheeks. And I wasn't the only one, Haymitch. That's going to get me killed."

"There are other spies here besides you working to make sure _you_ win the Games. They may have slipped that question into Caesar's mind to ask Gale. It makes you desirable. What you did tonight would scare off anyone."

"I was trying to get sponsors." Not to mention that I was trying to be myself out there.

"Look, whatever you think of Gale's answer, it's only going to help you."

"It's made us into something we're not."

"That's not the point. The point is to win. Remember why you are here, Snowden." This stops my next rant short. That's right, I'm here to prove that I am worthy of being what the council wants me to be. I need to be a victor so that when they need victors to influence the people, they will have someone in their back pocket that will influence them. "Come on, let's get dinner." I let him lead me to the table where the others have started the meal without us. I don't say anything while the adults talk. There's not really much to say. The Games officially start tomorrow. After this, Effie and Haymitch will be going to the Games HQ and signing sponsor deals and getting prepared for tomorrow. Tomorrow, me and Gale will be the lambs led to the slaughter. After we eat, we all go into the sitting room and watch the replay of the interviews. Portia makes a comment that I'm ready to set something on fire. Haymitch is nodding as if he is seeing something that he didn't before. Then Gale is up. He's the same as me, just being himself. And then it gets to the question and everyone notices his blush. The commenters say something about us being star crossed lovers. And I notice that I don't have any reaction on my face, but I do notice that I am tense. Boggs once described me as being an animal on the hunt when I was tense and I could see it now.

Once the television is off, Effie takes us by the hand and thanks us for being the best tributes she's ever had. Then she says something I don't understand, but Gale does because he sets his jaw. Then she's hurrying out of the room. I turn to find Haymitch just looking at us, arms crossed.

"Any final words of advice?" Gale and I ask at the same time. This is going to be the last time I'm going to be in contact with him until the Games are over.

"When the gong sounds, get the hell out of there. Neither of you will be able to handle the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. When you hear that gong, move your feet and put distance between you and the others. After that, find water and stay alive." That's the third time he's given me this advice and I only count it as the second as this time I know it's real. Gale nods and goes to talk to Portia. I turn to go to my room, but Haymitch stops me. "Snowden," I stop and look at him. "I know how much Boggs cares about you. Don't stay for the bloodbath even though I know you can handle it. There's too much of a risk that you'll be killed."

"I'll be fine."

"I know. Just remember why you are here. You're not here for yourself like you said tonight. You are here for Thirteen." I shake my head.

"No, Haymitch. I'm here for both." He nods and then heads down and I go to my room. I step out of the heels and take a shower to relax myself. I place the ribbons on the counter and then weave them back into my hair. I liked the way it made me look in the interviews. Once out of the shower, I braid my hair and braid the ribbons back into it before pulling on a pair of pajama pants and a tank top and climb into bed. It takes me all of two seconds to realize that I won't be able to sleep tonight. I lay there for two hours, tossing and turning, thoughts of how the arena will be. I get up and start doing workouts, hoping the activity will make me tired enough to fall asleep. After an hour, I'm still too anxious to sleep even though now my body is exhausted from the workout. I yank my door open and head for the door that leads to the roof. I yank the door open and hurry outside. The air is sweet and I take a deep breath. It starts to relax me. That's when I notice that there's a commotion in the streets below. I walk over to the rail and idly watch the dancing people in the streets below. It's a party for the tributes, but the tributes can't attend. I sigh and turn my back to the commotion and look up at the sky and the moon. I've grown up able to see it all my life, but tonight, it seems a lot more special. Maybe because after tonight, I'll be hunted. And when I survive that, my life will never be the same. I'll be some idol to be used as a pawn for the Capitol and Thirteen. "You should be getting some sleep." I say, turning my gaze from the sky to my fellow tribute who's now standing next to me, his mouth open as if he was about to say the same thing.

"Couldn't sleep." He says and leans over the rail to look at the party below. I return to looking at the sky. Was that a shooting star? "I'm guessing you couldn't sleep either."

"Mind decided to go for a run." I say.

"Family?"

"I don't have any." I reply. "You?"

"The Arena." He admits. "I know that my family will be okay no matter what happens to me."

"The girl that looks like you." I say without thinking.

"Katniss," he answers me. "She and I… grew close after our fathers died in a mining accident." So, that would explain why she paled. She's his girlfriend. Maybe that's why he blushed at the comment. He was thinking of what this Katniss would think about him possibly liking another girl. She wouldn't have needed to worry. Yeah he's good to look at, but I'm not looking for that. Especially since I might be the one to kill him.

"Do I have to worry about her coming after me if I make it and you don't?" He shrugs his shoulders and turns to lean back against the rail and looks up at the sky as well. We stand there in silence until I feel my body starting to protest that it's tired. About damn time. I push myself from the rail and start walking back. I stop before I'm even halfway to the door and turn back. "Good luck." I say and walk away before he has a chance to answer. Though, I think he yells it back to me as I reach the door. Back in my room, I curl into a ball in bed and doze for the remainder of the night, being woken at different times by dreams of me and Gale both winning the Games and him and Katniss celebrating.

Before I know it, Cinna is waking me up and giving me the simplest clothes in the dresser. Once I'm ready, he leads me to the roof and a hovercraft appears. The moment I step onto the ladder, I'm frozen in place and pulled into the hovercraft. I wait to be released and start to panic when I'm not. I've never done well at being confined. A woman appears and silently inserts a syringe into my forearm. What the hell is that? It takes me a moment to realize it's a tracker similar to what we use on forays into the Districts. I find it hard to believe the Capitol cares about the tributes enough to make sure we stay alive. This is to keep track of us. I'll play along for now. When Cinna joins me, an Avox leads us to a room where there is breakfast for us. I eat very little, barely able to keep anything down I'm so nervous. Is this why they wanted a victor? A victor knows what this is like and wants nothing more than for it to stop. I watch the scenery pass by below us and can't help but think of how much it reminds me of home and I miss the necklace Boggs gave me. I haven't seen it since the Opening Ceremonies. Venia had taken it from me the moment it was off my neck. After half an hour, the windows black out. We're almost there. I don't pay attention to anything as Cinna leads me to the Launch Room. I clean up and Cinna puts my hair into a high ponytail, similar to that I wore in the Reapings. Then I'm getting dressed.

The outfit is the same for everyone. I dress in the undergarments with Cinna's back turned. Then he hands me simple tawny pants, a light green shirt, a brown belt, and a thin, hooded black jacket. He inspects it a moment before saying, "The material is designed to reflect body heat. I would expect cold nights in the arena." I nod and pull on the soft leather boots. Then he's behind me and something goes around my neck. I'm about to fight back, thinking that he's going to kill me when I feel the shape of a dragon hit my breast bone. It's my necklace. "Barely got it to pass. They wanted to ban it because the chain could be used to strangle someone. When I said it was too thin for that, they let it through. The girl from One had her token eliminated though. If you twisted the gemstone, a poisoned spike popped out. She claims she didn't know, but lost it anyway." I start pacing and doing exercises to keep my mind busy and am glad to find out that the clothes are a good fit. I'm in the middle of doing push-ups when a pleasant female voice announces that it's time for the launch. I get up from the floor, take a large drink of water, and pull on my jacket as we walk to the metal plate that's going to take me into the arena.

"Remember," he says, "run, find water, and let the rest come." I nod and give him a quick hug. He returns it and I have to let go quickly to prevent being hurt by the cylinder coming down. I stand tall as the plate begins to rise. I try not to let myself panic when I'm in the darkness and breathe a small sigh of relief when I feel the open air. I squint as I reach area and hear the wind going through the trees behind me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Sevety-fourth Hunger Games begin!" The announcer calls out. Here we go.

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**The Games being next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. Three Days In

**As promised, I have given you alternate POV's and I will continue to do so. Enjoy!**

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**Gale's POV:**

I have sixty seconds. Sixty seconds to form a plan. I see a small knife a few feet from my left foot. I've got a long reach. I can grab it and go. I look at the golden horn, the Cornucopia, filled with food and supplies. There's a bow and a sheath of arrows. Katniss could probably get to them before the others, but not me. I crouch to grab the knife. I'm going to run into the forest behind me.

Thirty seconds. I look to my left. Five tributes away is Snowden. She's aimed her feet towards a bright orange backpack twenty yards away from her. She's not looking at me, but I can read her face. She's going in and she doesn't care what Haymitch told us.

The gong rings out. I grab the knife and disappear into the woods. At the edge, I turn to look for Snowden. She's reached the pack and so has the boy from Nine. She drives her elbow into the boy's face at the same time a knife goes into his back. She looks at the girl from two, grabs the knife, and runs. The last thing I see is her using the backpack to catch a second knife. I lose sight of her in the trees. I look at the fighting and decide it's time to make myself scarce as well.

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**Snowden's POV:**

Two knives, that's better than I could have hoped for. Not to mention that this pack has got to have some good supplies. My mind skips to those last days in Thirteen. Boggs had had me living in the woods. I had no supplies and no gun. It makes sense now. He was preparing me for this. If I can survive in those woods, I can survive here. I have supplies and I have weapons. Now I just need to get rid of the competition. I sigh and slow my pace so I can save my energy. If watching past Games has taught me anything, it's that the hunting won't start until tonight. Late afternoon at the earliest. Right now, I've got to find water. I'm no good without it and I'll be dead within a week. A barely pay attention to the rabbit that jumps out at my feet. I want to follow it to see if it will lead me to water, but it could be running from water to get away from me.

I jump when the silence around me is disturbed by the sound of a canon firing. The initial bloodbath is over. I count as I walk. The canon stops at eleven. I keep walking. Eleven dead, which means thirteen are left. Me and Gale are both in those last thirteen. I saw him take off into the forest after grabbing a knife. I'm surprised he didn't go for the bow and arrows that was there. Maybe he didn't think he could make it. He was probably right. One of the Careers has it now. One of those eleven kills is mine, I know that for sure. That boy from Nine is dead. I'm pretty sure I broke his neck in the struggle to get the pack. That reminds me, I have to look through it before night fall. I walk a little farther before I find a nice secluded hill to sit on. It gives me a good view of the surrounding area. I can keep a good lookout from here.

I drop the pack and flop down next to it. I can start to feel the effects not having water in this heat. I try to ignore it, but that becomes hard as I start to unload the pack. The first thing I pull out is a bone dry half gallon bottle followed by a bottle of iodine which is used to purify the water I don't have. As far as food goes, there's a pack of crackers and a pack of dried beef strips. The other items include a sleeping bag made out of the same material as my jacket, a box of wooden matches, a coil of wire, and a pair of glasses. They look like sun glasses, but when I put them on, the world is out of focus and so I just put them back in the pack. Maybe they're for when it gets really hot. Or they hit us with hard rain. With a sigh, I put everything back in the pack and keep moving. I have to find water. The only comfort I have is that they won't be focused on me right now. They'll be more concerned with those who survived the blood bath and what they got. It was obvious that only a few of us got the hell out before the fighting got to us.

As the sun starts going down, I find a tree and climb up. Tomorrow, I have to find water. If not, I'm as good as dead.

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**Gale's POV:**

I almost fall out of the little shelter I've made as a canon fires around dawn. Someone has just died. I don't know why it relieves me to think, to know, that it's not Snowden. Whatever she did to get that twelve in training has got to be keeping her alive. And whatever was in that pack. There's something about her that no one has been able to figure out. I know for a fact that she didn't grow up in Twelve. Katniss and I would have seen her. Hell, we may have even become friends with her, or at least hunting partners. But where is she from and why was she in Twelve that day. She knows why she was there, I'm sure of it.

All this races through my mind as I check my snares. Also running through my head is the fact that I need to find water. Snowden will surely have found some other source by now. The lake can't be the only source. That would end the Games too quickly. I sigh at the bare snares and continue walking. I have to find food. I find water, I find food.

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**Snowden's POV:**

Day three and I still have yet to find a drop of water. Damn the Gamemakers. The only comfort I have is that I know the lake will not have been the only source of water. The rabbit I was able to snare is hanging from my belt, cooked by the fire the stupid girl from Eight lit. The scorching sun threatens to burn me and I rearrange my hair into a messy bun. Sorry Cinna, but it's too hot to keep the ponytail. By midafternoon, my legs can no longer hold my weight, not to mention I'm too disorientated to notice the thick tangle of vegetation that I trip and fall face first into a pond. I scramble up and nearly shout for joy. Precious water. I control myself enough that I am able to fill my jug and let it sit for the half hour it needs before sipping it. I suck on a beef strip while I wait. After I finish the first half gallon, I get a second one going and begin smearing mud on my backpack. When the second half gallon is done purifying, I drink it with the rabbit I saved. I prepare a third half gallon of water and get to my feet. This is a good place for water, but I sure as hell don't want to be caught near it. I can't let anyone else know about it. I try to think about what I'm going to do as the anthem plays.

A sudden roar stops my thought process and I look in the direction I had been walking. Coming straight at me is a wall of fire. I have enough sense to rip off a piece of my shirt and soak it in the pond before I sprint after the animals, grabbing my pack as I run past it. Damn the Gamemakers. Can't they give us some peace? I'm already being hunted by the Careers and Gale. I tie the rag over my mouth as I run. The deadliest thing about a fire is not the flames, it's the smoke. The smoke can get into a person's lungs and leave them hacking up a lung on the ground and then the flames converge. I shake the thought from my head and keep running. The first indicator I get that I'm in new terrain is the rocks. Somehow, instead of forcing me back towards the lake, I've been forced to a rocky area. I stop under a stone outcropping to catch my breath and drink some more water which I'm barely able to keep down. I use some of my precious water to soak the rag again. I take a few seconds to redo my hair, another messy bun. I'm surprised I was able to keep the tie.

My hair is halfway up when a fire ball lands on the rocks above my head. I tug my hair tight and run, pulling the rag over my mouth again. The second time a fireball is launched, I hear the hiss and drop to the ground. The fireball, which I'm able to see is the size of an apple, hits the tree. Damn, small and powerful. I immediately jump to my feet and keep moving. I bet the Capitol audience is having a laugh now. Snowden, the girl on fire, the dragon on fire. Now that's ironic. Finally, the attacks stop and I pause to throw up, trying to rid my body of the toxins I've been breathing in through the dry rag. The smell of burnt hair catches my attention and I pull my hair forward. About a foot falls off in my hand. I use some of my precious water to soak the ends and stop the burning. When I take out the tie, it stops about mid-back when it usually went to the small of my back. Not that I was wanting a haircut. A hissing has me dropping to the ground and I'm moving again. I hope I don't run into the Career pack. I'm in no condition to fight them right now. The fireball lands a few feet from my face and small sparks hit my face. They don't burn as I luckily wipe them off and run again.

For the second time in I don't know how many hours, I fall into a pool of water. It's blissfully cool and I'm able to clear my head. No more fireballs are shot at me. That can only mean one thing. There's another tribute nearby at least. I drink the last of my water and refill my jug and add the iodine. I need to find me somewhere to rest for the day which I can tell as sunlight is slowly beginning to shine on the Arena. The only thing keeping me from picking a tree is that smoke rises and the fire is still sending smoke my way. I drink the water and refill the bottle before falling into a doze. I'm only dozing for maybe an hour when I hear running feet and the sounds of the Careers. I jump up, grab my bag, and run for the trees. From their yells, they are chasing someone. I am about to climb into a tree and notice a tracker jacker nest. I move to the next tree over and climb up and disappear into the leaves when six people burst into the clearing. I recognize the lead person as Gale and he begins to climb the tree I was about to climb. He's beaten up pretty bad from the fire. Not that the Careers are in much better shape. I sigh and settle in for the night as Gale taunts the pack from his precarious position.

I stifle a shout of surprise as a hand touches my shoulder. The small movement I do make catches Gale's attention and he sees Rue who was hiding in my tree with me. Now that she has both of our attention, she points up and shows Gale the nest. He pales a little before moving up, the limbs groaning under his weight. As the anthem blares out, I see him begin sawing the branch the nest is on. I fall asleep, a dangerous thing on the branches, but I'm too tired to care. Around dawn, a small rock lands in my lap, waking me up. I realize that the dawn light has revealed me to Gale. He points at the nest and makes a sawing motion. I nod and look up and find Rue. I touch her leg and she thankfully has the sense not to scream. I point at Gale and make the same sawing motion. She nods and we both jump from tree to tree, her with more ease than me. Five trees away, I jump to the ground and run in the opposite direction. A moment later, I hear the screams of people being attacked by tracker jackers. The sound makes me shiver. Coin showed me videos of the effects from the first war between the districts and the Capitol. It has never been something I've wanted to experience. I run to my pool and think of something. I saw Glimmer with the bow and arrows. I groan inwardly as I realize what I've got to do next. I told Boggs that if something happened to me, I wanted Gale to win. That's not much of a possibility if he dies because he went back for the weapons that I know he can use. He not once touched them during training. I hear crashing behind me and forget about my plan and keep moving. I hide behind a tree and Gale runs past, the silver weapons in hand. I guess I don't have to worry about him. I give him a while to get ahead before following him. The rocks will make a great shelter.

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**So, I'm thinking of having Gale and Snowden get together, but when should it happen and how? Open to ideas! Thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. Family Pride

**soapymilk: that is an interesting thought. maybe i will have something like that happen.**

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**Snowden's POV:**

I flip the one of the two knives I have between my fingers, thinking. Rue was smart enough to recognize the tracker jacker nest. What I can't figure out is why. Why did she tell me and Gale? She could have just as easily not said anything and that would have taken out a good chunk of the threats to her. She looked really thin though, like she didn't have enough food. But we've all lost weight being out here, no matter how much we ate in the Capitol before we came into the Arena. I sigh and stand up, careful not to knock my head against the ceiling of the small cave I've found to hide out. I ran into a swarm of tracker jackers and was stung a few times. I was able to pull out the stingers in time, but the wounds still ache, some venom left probably. I know I've seen the leaves that we use to help. After the war, the Capitol left hundreds of tracker jacker nests around the districts, including Thirteen even though it had been "destroyed".

I keep my hand from straying to my neck or cheek to scratch the sting. Scratching will only make it worse and I can't afford to go into another black out. I was lucky enough to find the cave before I was drowning in hallucinations, but any screams I may have cried would have been heard. I'm just lucky that no one was around to hear them. I'm guessing that the Careers are nursing their own wounds. I sigh and slip the knife back into my makeshift sheath and start walking. I need more water and food.

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**Gale's POV:**

I groan and sit up and try to fix my messed up hair. It's been a few days since I dropped the nest on the Careers so Rue, Snowden, and I could get away. The three of us seem to be in the same mind: get the Careers out of the way. That's the only reason I warned Snowden. We have to stay alive so we can make it to the end, so Twelve can have another win. The only thing that sucks about this plan is that I am going to have to kill Snowden so I can get home. I know she has her own secrets, but I can't let my own curiosity get in the way of me getting home. I promised my family that I would get home. I wonder what Katniss is thinking now. Would she have done the same thing? Or would she have left Snowden to the tracker jackers? I would like to think that I know Katniss well enough to think that she would have warned Snowden, but the Games change people. I know that the two of us won't be the same when I get back. I'll have killed people. She won't, something that I am glad for. I don't think she would be able to. She's not squeamish when it comes to killing animals, like little Prim is, but killing a person is something different.

I jump to my feet and bring the bow up as I hear a small curse. I hide behind a large tree and watch as Snowden carefully steps through the brush. Her hair is a good foot shorter than it was when the Games started. The fire I'm guessing. I can see two stings, one on her neck and another on her cheek. Did some of the jackers get her? There was that weird scream yesterday. That must have been her. She has two knives on her, along with the pack. It would be so easy to let the arrow go and kill her now. But I can't. Even though I've never seen her growing up, she's from Twelve. It wouldn't be right for me to kill her, not now at least. Maybe if we end up being the last two I would be able to.

Before I can make up my mind, she is out of range and I sit down again. I wonder what Haymitch thinks of me now. I hesitated in killing a threat. Though, he probably would have done the same thing in my place. I sigh and set about tearing down my small camp. I need to go where there is food and water.

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**Snowden's POV:**

Now I'm sure that little Rue is following me. The small pieces of food I've been leaving just outside my camp whenever I leave are always gone and it's not something the local wildlife would eat. Not to mention that some of the berry bushes I found have been stripped clean of their berries within two days of me finding them. She can survive, I'll give her that. But she shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be in this place. It's cruel for children as young as her to come and participate in these Games. Children shouldn't be here at all. What's the point anymore? Why must they keep taking the children to keep the adults from fighting back? It's stupid. The more kids that are taken away, the angrier the people get. The more likely they will come to Thirteen and join us there. I shake my head to rid it of those thoughts. I can't think about Thirteen now. I've never been known for having a filtered tongue when angry. If I let thoughts about home slip into my head now, my mission will be over and I will never get to see everyone again. Though, I could care less about seeing the damned council again. Right now, I want to go back to Boggs and Coin, my family. I wonder what they think of me now. Are they worried? Are they proud? Do they think I should have run from the Cornucopia? Will I be able to go back to Thirteen after this?

I have one of my knives in my hand when I hear the snap of a twig. I turn fast enough to see a small head hide behind a tree. Rue. It's a good thing I haven't been voicing my thoughts out loud. I lower the knife and put it away. "You know, they're not the only ones who can make alliances." I call as I sit back down and tend to the food I had been able to catch this morning. I hear her peak around the tree.

"You want me for an ally?"

"Why not? You seem to know that land well enough. You recognized the tracker jacker nest before Gale did. You've lived this long. Not to mention, you've been following me for the past few days." I don't say anything, but I know she is out from behind the tree. Come on, get some food."

"I can fix your stings." She says and I raise an eyebrow. She pulls out a handful of leaves from her makeshift pack. I've been looking all over for those damn things.

"Where did you find those?" I ask, trying not to be too harsh. I don't want to scare her away.

"Around. We carry them when we work in the orchards." That's right, District Eleven is agriculture. Unfortunately, they don't get much of the food they produce. None of the Districts keep much of what they produce, especially the poorer ones.

"So, that's how you fly like you've got wings." I say. She smiles and I know I've hit a sweet spot, the one thing she'll admit pride in. "Alright, fix me up." I say and she comes to the fire, stuffing the handful of leaves in her mouth. I hold out my arm where the majority of the stings are located. After a minute, she places the green wad of spit on my arm and I let out a small moan of relief before I can stop myself. Rue giggles.

"At least you had the sense to pull out the stingers." I don't say anything, not wanting to give away much of myself to the poor little girl I won't be able to help. She puts some more of the leaves in her mouth and places the mixture on my neck and cheek. That's when I notice the burn on her forearm. Before she can say anything, I reach into my bag, grab the burn medicine, and apply it to her wound. It was hanging outside my cave when I woke up from the venom blackout. "You've got good sponsors."

"You haven't gotten anything?" This late in the Games, she should have something by now. She shakes her head as I turn the meat over. It was some sort of bird I found in one of my snares.

"Do you really want me as your ally?" She asks timidly. I give her a look and nod. I can clearly imagine Haymitch's and Coin's faces as I team up with this child. But I can also see Boggs's face, his pride in knowing he taught me well, taught me how to recognize things that could be useful.

"You are a survivor, Rue. And right now, we have to team up against the Careers. Who better than you?"

"Your fellow tribute." She says. "Gale's his name right?" I nod but don't say anything. Of course Gale would be a better choice than this child. But Gale was stupid enough to not see the track jacker nest when he climbed the tree. Rue had to show it to him. He wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for Rue.

"Rue, he didn't recognize the nest when he started climbing that tree. You had to show it to him. That shows that you can keep a cool head when you need to." She smiles. I've hit another sweet spot.

"You know, you're not as mean as you made yourself out to be during the interviews." She says and I laugh.

"I'm only like that when I'm around people I don't like." I whisper and she giggles. After that, we are silent while we eat. I notice that she keeps looking at the leftover meat that I've set aside for us to save. I grab the second leg and shove it into her hands. I was able to get my pack and I can hunt, she's had to live off what she could gather.

That night, I string the two of us up in my sleeping bag and watch the sky. No one died today. But how long has it been. The last thing I remember is running after Gale after he dropped the nest on the Careers. "Rue, how long has it been?" I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand. She does the same.

"Two. There's ten of us left. The girls from One and Four are dead."

"You're sure?" She nods.

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

No one died today. I need to get back to the lake and see which of the Careers survived my attack. For sure that girl, Glimmer I think her name was, is dead. But I remember hearing two canons before I blacked out from my stings. Damn things. Traditionally, they'd have all the food. Maybe if I can get rid of that, then the rest of us would have a chance. Usually, when the Careers have lost their food, a tribute from one of the other Districts wins. I need to get there and see how it's guarded. This in mind for a strategy, I pull my jacket around me and fall asleep.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Explosions

**Snowden's POV:**

I look out at the lake and see the Cornucopia first. Some distance away, there is the pyramid of supplies. Why is it so far from the camp? I examine the camp. Rue was right, the two girls are dead. The only tributes there are the boy from One, Cato and his fellow tribute from Two, and the boy from Three. The feeling I got when Rue and I were talking about it is back. Three, what is District Three. While I'm trying to remember, Cato shouts and points into the woods. That means Rue's lit the first fire. That should get them away from here. After a brief argument, the four of them leave. Now I'm really uneasy. There is something wrong with those supplies. I'm about to leave the safety of the trees to get a closer look when another tribute creeps onto the plain. They're too big to be Rue and too small to be Gale. That only leaves one other person: the girl from Five with the fox looking face. I watch as she runs across the plain to the pyramid and then start a strange dance through the supplies littered around the pyramid. As she's making her way back, it hits me. Three is tech…and explosives. I look closer at the ground and see the plates we were raised into the arena on. I can't tell anything from here. I need to get closer, and I do. I examine the ground around the plates. I'm right, the land mines have been reactivated. I stand up straight and look towards the sight of the second fire. It's been lit. I don't have much time left. I look at the supplies again and my eyes fall on the apples.

I jog over to the Cornucopia and find several knives that were left behind. I grab two and go back to the supplies. I don't need to be that close, maybe as far as I would need to be for a bow. I throw the first knife and it slices a neat tear into the fabric. I throw the second knife at the same time an arrow flies past my ear. The weapons reach the apples at the same time and the apples fall. I don't have time to run and I'm blown backwards. The landing knocks the wind out of me and I can barely shield myself from the debris that keeps setting off the mines. I feel blood running down my face and put a hand to the ear that was closer to the explosion. It's bleeding and I can't hear anything out of it and I can barely hear out of my right. I don't know what's happened, but I need to get out of sight before the Careers get back. I stand and fall from dizziness. I pull up my hood and crawl to the undergrowth. There's no doubt that the cameras are tuned in on me right now. I just evened the playing field and no one saw it coming.

I almost don't make it back to my hiding place as minutes later Cato bursts onto the plain. I watch from my shelter as his rage explodes. I watch as the boy from Three tosses a rock into the debris field and declares it safe. While the other two tributes try to salvage supplies, Cato shouts at the boy and breaks his neck. I barely hear the resulting canon. I watch as the two calm Cato and seem to convince him that the bomber is dead in the blast. They never saw me use my knives and they don't know about Gale's accuracy with the bow. I make myself comfortable in the shelter and wait for night to come. The only two deaths are two boys, one from Ten and the other from Three. Well, now they know that the bomber survived. I watch as they prepare and head out for the hunt. I settle down for the night.

* * *

I stare at the cold camp fire. It was never lit. Rue never made it here. The thought forms a pit in my stomach. It shouldn't. For all I know, she could have ended the alliance. There are only eight of us left. But the feeling doesn't go away and I decide to go find her. I feel responsible for her for some reason. After all, I am fighting so children like her don't have to come back into this place. The Games need to be done with, for good. I turn around, somewhat unsteady, and walk back the way I had come with Rue when we had set up the fires. I'm listening for her four note whistle. She had been the one to point out the mockingjays to me. I had only seen pictures of their sires on videos: jabberjays. They were mutts created by the Capitol to spy on Thirteen. When the rebels realized this, they started sending nonsense back to the Capitol. The mutts were left to die, but they mated with the mocking birds and created the mockingjays. We had agreed to use them to relay that each other was safe.

Instead of the whistle, I hear a scream, a child's scream: Rue.

"Snowden!"

"Rue!" I begin running towards her voice, not caring that this might be a trap. They want to know how I got that twelve in training, then I'll show them how.

"Snowden!"

"I'm coming, Rue!" Laughter reaches my ears. It's only one other person. But there could be another. I burst into the clearing and see the boy from One and the fox faced girl from Five. The two of them are holding the spear. I watch as in slow motion, they push the spear through Rue. Then I explode. I drop the pack and jump at the two tributes. I don't know why they've joined up, but I don't care. I knock the boy unconscious and turn in time to catch the girl as she jumps at me. The two of us are fighting back and forth. She gets a few punches land on me. I manage to break her arm and then a leg. This isn't training I got in the Training Center. This is what Boggs taught me. It's what I've used to survive in situations like this one. The thing that sustains me is the image of Rue's bleeding body on the ground next to me. Finally, I get a hold on her and snap her neck. The canon that goes off brings me back to reality. I look around. The boy is gone. I'll hunt him later. I turn to Rue and cradle her in my arms, careful not to move the spear as I use the girl's jacket to stop the bleeding. Once I'm sure that there's no danger to internal organs, I gently take out the spear. The bleeding starts again and I pull the girl's clothes and use them as bandages. After that, I pick up Rue, my pack, and hurry away from the site. The sudden quiet tells me that the hovercraft has come.

I get us to the stream and rest her on the ground and begin cleaning her wound, using large leaves as bandages. As I'm doing this, I notice that there is no saving her. The spear hit major organs when they drove it into her stomach. I look at her other injuries. They broke her arms and legs. She is burned and not from the fire the Gamemakers set. They tortured her, thinking to lure her partner, me, to them. They didn't count on me losing it. I fight better, deadlier, when I'm angry. It's something that Boggs never told Coin, though, she knows now. It was our secret. It's my key to survival. I start singing until she drifts off and I hear the canon. I let the tears fall before settling her in the tall grass, using weed flowers to cover the spear wound. I kiss her forehead and leave. I walk until I hear the quietness the marks the hovercraft's arrival. I stop and wait until the mockingjays start singing again, Rue's whistle. I start walking again only to realize I don't have the will to keep going. I find a place and start climbing into a tree. Once I'm settled, I see a silver parachute caught in the branches of my tree. I retrieve it and find bread, it's from District Eleven. I look up at the sky.

"My thanks to the people of District Eleven." I say loud enough to be heard. I watch the sky for the deaths. Only the girl from five and Rue have died today. That's all that anyone can handle for today. I think about who is left. There are only six of us. The boy from One, Cato and his partner, Thresh, and me and Gale. The fact the Thresh is still alive makes me start to consider him as a contender. There is something that I have to do and I don't like it. I have to kill Thresh and the best way to do that is going to team up with Cato and his partner, after I kill the boy from One. He is going to be made to pay for killing Rue. I'll start hunting him tomorrow. Right now, I want to sleep.

* * *

**Hope ya'll liked the change I made to Rue's death. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	11. Schemes

**UnicorninTraining: Snowden is kinda based off of Katniss, but I want her different so hopefully this separates them. And they won't be star crossed lovers, but they might get together later on. ;) Thanks for your reviews.**

* * *

**Snowden's POV:**

I look at the boy hanging from the trap in front of me. He's from District One, the one who killed Rue. I've been hunting him for the past three days to kill him for killing her. Looks like someone beat me to it judging by the wounds on him. I wouldn't have been so messy. I look at the trap the idiot fell into. It looks like one of Gale's. I thought a hunter would know how to kill cleanly. I look back at the boy. It's odd that I didn't hear a canon. Why haven't they come for him yet? I jump as he gasps. The bastard is still alive. I smile. He looks at me and pales in fright. He knows.

"You killed that little girl." I hiss. I pull out the knife I got the other day. "She was no threat to you."

"What do you care? You were going to kill her eventually." He spits back at me and I smirk. That is where he is dead wrong. I don't know why, but I never would have hurt Rue. My only regret is that I couldn't protect her until the end. I never would have been able to kill her.

"And that, stupid boy, is where you are wrong. I should break you like you broke her. But I don't have the time right now." I plunge my knife into his throat and twist, making sure to sever major organs. I doubt the doctors in Thirteen are happy that I'm using their instruction to kill. I turn away from the dying boy and face the lake. Next on my list of people to kill is Gale. He strung this boy up as a present for me. I didn't need his help. But he can wait. I need to get Thresh out of the way first. Besides, I told Coin and Boggs that I wanted Gale to take my place should something happen to me.

The crack of a twig alerts me to someone in the trees beyond as the cannon booms in the distance. I turn, knife ready to throw. It's Gale. I don't put away my knife. I'm still pissed that he strung up this kill for me. I look him over. He's a little worse for wear since I last saw him last week during the fire. I see the bow in his hand and realize that he made himself known to me on purpose. "Why am I still alive?" I ask. He had plenty of chances to kill me just minutes ago. "That was your trap, wasn't it?"

"So,"

"So why am I still alive? And why did you leave him alive?"

"You are alive because I want to know about you. I left him alive so I could gain your trust."

"Then you've failed. I didn't need help catching him."

"He killed your ally, the little girl. I have a little sister,"

"I don't care what family you have. You didn't know her and you don't know me. I didn't need you to string up the boy from One. You've let me live now. But next time we meet, one of us will die. I promise you that." I walk away and into the trees, keeping a sharp ear for the sound of a bowstring being released.

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

I watch as Snowden walks away. I can kill her right now and leave it at that. But I can't bring myself to do it. It don't know why. Something tells me that she isn't telling me the whole truth about herself. But it's more than that. It's something I can't explain right now. I watch as she walks back towards the lake and the Careers. I decide to follow her. I haven't seen her since the explosion a few days ago. She and I had both blown up the supplies. I had managed to get enough practice in that I didn't need to be that close. Katniss may have needed to be closer, but I improved the bow. Something that I doubt the Gamemakers would show on the television. As I follow Snowden, I notice her turn her head more to the left as she walks. She was closer to the explosion and I think it damaged her hearing. She may even be deaf in that ear now. That makes her weaker than the rest of us. But the little girl's death may have had the opposite effect. I was there when she was killed and saw how Snowden killed Foxface. It was brutal. She never showed that in training. Is that how she got the twelve? Is that what she showed the Gamemakers? I think back to what I saw during training. She was weak in the hand-to-hand and never touched the weapons. That must have been a ploy. But where did she learn those skills?

My thoughts are interrupted when I nearly bump into Snowden who has stopped walking. We are back at the lake. It's hard to see what she's looking at, but we are nowhere near the blast sight. After a moment, she steps out onto the plain and walks to the Cornucopia. I watch in amazement as she sits inside and waits.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the Capitol:**

Haymitch watched as his tributes ignored each other. He was more surprised at Snowden's viciousness in regards to the little girl's death. He knew she had been trained in Thirteen, but he had never expected that an innocent looking girl like her was capable of it. But Boggs had told him that she was a spy before this assignment.

_"A spy is what we need." _He thought. _"The Games need to change a little bit. Those two are the leaders. If something happens to Snowden, Gale has to survive. But there can only be one…" _He smirked as he watched, pretending it was because he knew what Snowden was doing by sitting in the Cornucopia and waiting. In reality, he had no idea at all. He wasn't able to get into her mind as easily as he could Gale's. But they both had a fair amount of sponsors and he knew that they would be waiting to see who would win. He looked at the screen next to the one that showed his tributes. It showed who was left and right now, two pairs of tributes were left: Districts Two and Twelve. Eleven was still in the race with only Thresh left. Haymitch called an Avox over and handed them a hastily scribbled message. "Take this to Gamemaker Plutarch." He whispered. The Avox nodded and immediately did as she was told. Plutarch looked at Haymitch and nodded. Plutarch excused himself and exited the room, claiming to need sleep. Haymitch followed soon afterward, needing his own break from the stress of watching his tributes. An Avox was waiting for him. He nodded and was led down the hall and to the roof where Plutarch was waiting. The Avox left and the two men looked at each other.

"She is something else. I saw her in the training, but I never thought that she was capable of that." Plutarch said. "She got attached to that little girl. But what did you want to talk to me about. There are only five tributes left."

"I know. And four of them are two pairs." Haymitch glanced around. "Snowden was selected by the council to lead the coming rebellion. She chose Gale to replace her should something happen to her in the Games. But together, they can be a deadly team. Our job is to keep the two of them alive."

"Why are you telling me this? There's nothing I can do about it. The only one who has the power to change the rules is Seneca."

"I know that. That is why you have to convince him to do this. Tell him that it'll make for better entertainment."

"Haymitch, there can only be one winner. What if District Two wins? Then your plans die with Snowden and Gale."

"That's why it's not going to be easy. You'll think of a fail safe. I have to get back to my tributes. Snowden is at the Cornucopia and I have no idea why."

* * *

**Snowden:**

I don't move as Cato and Clove step onto the plain and walk towards me. They haven't seen me yet and that is alright. One wrong move and I could die right here. I can't help but wonder what Haymitch is thinking right now. And I hope Gale didn't follow me. I don't need him thinking that I am a traitor to a District I don't even belong to. I shake my head to clear it. I can't be wondering right now. Cato and Clove are just steps away from me. I decide to make myself known as they sit next to a dying fire.

"You two look like hell." I say and they jump to their feet. I raise my hands in surrender. "I'm not here to fight. I have a deal for the two of you."

"And why would we make a deal with you?" Clove demands. I toss them the cooked groosling I caught the other day. Cato catches it and they start eating, forgetting about me for about two minutes which is how long it takes for them to eat. Clove looks at Cato and he nods. Clove points to a spot on the other side of the fire from them and I sit down. "What's this deal?" She asks.

"Let me team up with you. I can get us food. I noticed while I was waiting that you don't have any."

"Someone destroyed it." Cato answers. "We're thinking your fellow tribute. Or the girl from Five. They're the only two who can get away without much harm with the way they destroyed it."

"What about Eleven? The male tribute is still alive. And he's a threat to me." I say. "His fellow tribute, that little girl, was in my care when she got killed. He may blame me for her death. And if he finds out that it was one of your Careers," I leave the sentence open and stay silent a moment. "He's a danger to us all."

"So," Clove ventures, "you want to team up and the three of us take on Thresh."

"You help me with that, I can keep you alive for a while." I say. Cato looks at Clove.

"Okay, but, we have another condition. You help us hunt down your partner tribute. Once he's dead, it's a free for all, last one standing wins. Deal?" They both hold out their hands. I know that once my back is turned, they'll kill me. But right now, we have a common enemy: Thresh. They'll work with me until he is dead. After that, I plan to kill them and then Gale and I can fight it out. I take Cato's hand first.

"Deal." I say and do the same with Clove. We are allies…for now.

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**How's that for a plot twist? Thanks for reading and please review!**


	12. Alliances

**Snowden's POV:**

I look at my allies. Though, even that is a stretch. We are only working together to get rid of Thresh. After that, they want to go after Gale. I can't let that happen. He's my backup. The only problem with that plan is that he'll have to die for me to leave. I sigh and look out into the forest before turning to the fields on the other side of the lake. That's the only place I can think of that Thresh can be since I haven't seen him in the forest. And I lost track of everyone during the initial bloodbath when I ran in to get my pack. But, from what Rue told me about her district, the fields seem like the best place for him. It's like a second home for him like the forest is for Gale. That makes them both dangerous. But it also makes my alliance dangerous as well. There is too much cover for Cato and Clove to hide in and shoot me in the back. The only thing that is keeping me alive right now is the fact that they want Gale dead before me. I know that once Gale is dead, they'll turn on me and then on each other. Once Thresh is dead, I'll have to go and find Gale and team up with him. It's the only way that the two of us will be able to stay alive for a while. I hope Haymitch has a plan to keep both of us alive.

* * *

I munch on the bread that I got from Eleven last week. Cato and Clove have a portion as well, as promised. At the moment, we are walking through the fields, looking for Thresh. I'm in the front, searching for signs of him, which makes me nervous. With hearing gone in my left ear, it's harder to keep track of every sound that comes to me. I'm just glad that I can rely on my instincts more than senses. I look up at the sky and see a silver parachute float down. It lands a near a mound in the middle of the field. I stop the others and point it out. They nod and we keep walking. I draw a knife, as does Clove, and Cato draws his weapon. I'm not sure what chance we have against him with blades since I've no idea what weapons Thresh has managed to get his hands on. Hell, he could probably just kill us with a rock.

We reach the mound and find a thatch hut. I'm impressed. He must have counted on the rest of us killing each other off. Clove and I look at Cato and we back off slightly. Cato watches the hut a little while longer and before joining us.

"What's the plan?" I whisper.

"We take him by surprise when it's dark." He answers. "Clove and I will go in first. You come in right after with the rope. Once Clove and I have him down, tie him up. We'll decide what to do with him from there." I nod and watch as they prepare, Clove silently cleaning her knives and him cracking his knuckles. I take out the rope and make sure it's not frayed and make sure my own knives are sharp. Finally its dark and we put on our night glasses, something that Thresh doesn't have. Cato and Clove and I go back to the clearing. Thresh is sitting outside the hut, looking for trouble. He can't see that well, but I can bet he is able to hear us if we're not careful. Cato and Clove seem to realize this and quietly step into the clearing to circle Thresh. I don't move. Cato and Clove jump Thresh at the same time and I instantly see that they are having trouble. He's throwing them around like rag dolls. I can't wait, I have to get in there. I jump from my cover and into the house and throw the small fire onto the walls and jump out. The group of three are facing me, but they don't register me until I am flipping over Thresh and pulling a knife to his throat. He stops struggling. Cato gets the rope and ties the beast of a boy up. Cato and Clove look at me. I take my glasses off and put them away.

"What happened to following the plan?" Clove hisses, putting her glasses away as well.

"The two of you were having trouble." I say. "If I hadn't helped, he would have killed the two of you."

"You didn't have to set my home on fire." Thresh mutters and Cato kicks him.

"We needed to see." I shrug. I turn to Cato. "Now what?"

"Well, you're the one who wanted our help in killing him. I say you get the kill." Cato says to me.

"But we did all the work!" Clove protests and I roll my eyes.

"She took him down. I'd call that doing all the work." He turns back to me. "Meet us back at the edge of the field." I nod and they leave us alone. I sigh in relief and turn to Thresh.

"Let me go." Thresh says.

"I can't. You'll blame me. And then you'll kill me."

"Is that why you teamed up with them? I saw the little girl's picture." I squat in front of him.

"Her name was Rue." I say. "I can't believe you don't even know your own partner's name."

"We agreed it was better that way. How did she die?"

"The boy from One and the girl from Five drove a spear through her gut. They're both dead now. I killed them."

"It doesn't surprise me. I was amazed that you took me down so easily. She didn't die alone, did she?"

"No. I was there. With her broken body. They tortured her."

"Why did you team up with them? Was it really to get me?" I nod. "You know they are planning on killing you."

"They want me to help them kill Gale. But I know. I can handle them. You were more of a threat to me. " I stand up and he does to. I ram my dagger into his throat and twist. He gurgles out something that sounds like an acceptance, saying he forgives me for letting Rue die and for killing him. Seconds later, the canon sounds his death. I wipe my blade on the grass and leave, using the fire as light. I look up at the sky and notice that it is getting close to dawn. I didn't even hear the anthem. But there were no deaths today and there was the fire right next to me. Oh well, Thresh's death will be displayed tonight. I need to get away from these two. I can't let them get to Gale. He has to be safe and Haymitch had better of thought of a plan to get us both out of here alive.

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

I can't believe it. She teamed up with the Careers. Does she want me dead that bad? What game is she playing? First, she doesn't want allies, then she teams up with Rue. Then she doesn't want help and next thing I know, she's teaming up with the remaining Careers. She's too unpredictable to keep around. I'm going to have to kill her before I kill them. I can wait next to their camp. No doubt they'll be coming after me next. Well, I'm skilled in traps. I can set some and catch them all at once. That should do it. I think. I don't see why it wouldn't. Works when I'm hunting at home. This is the same thing. The only difference is that the game is much bigger and fights back.

I wonder if she'll beg for me to forgive her. I won't. She's not from Twelve. If she was, she never would have considered teaming up with the Careers. It's hard to believe that the loss of both of her parents would cause her to go against her people. No, she can't be from Twelve. The tributes from Twelve don't turn on each other. They never have in the long years that I have been watching this. I don't know where she's from.

A rustle above me catches my attention. It's a sponsor gift. I climb the tree and retrieve the parachute and look inside the container. It's food. And a note. _Trust her_ is written in Haymitch's hand. I snort and stuff the note into my pocket. The her has to be Snowden. Who else would he be talking about? The only other her is Clove and I wouldn't trust her if I was paid to. I tuck the food into my makeshift bag and continue hiking toward the lake. I can't believe he wants me to trust her, after what she's done. From Twelve or not, she's playing for Twelve and people from Twelve do not turn on their fellow tributes. But it makes me wonder if I would have done the same thing in her place. Thresh's picture was in the sky last night. Could she have teamed up with them to get him? But then why not let me help her? Or was she hoping that they would kill each other while she slipped away? Yeah, right. She betrayed Twelve and she is going to die. If it kills me, I'm going to be the winner of these Games and I'm—

My bow is up and aimed and the only thing that keeps me from letting go is the wild look in Snowden's eyes. She's scared and rightly so. But I don't think it's because of me.

"Kill me, and you die to. Everyone does." She says.

* * *

**Aaaaaaaand cliffhanger! Thanks for reading and please review. Haven't had a cliffhanger in a while. hmmmmm**


	13. Victors

**Snowden's POV**

I have my hands in the air, waiting to see what Gale is going to do. He thinks I've betrayed him. I don't blame him. I just have to hope that he trusts me now. Not to mention that I slipped. The "everyone dies" part was in reference to the rebellion. Not that he's gonna know that. But it might give other people an idea of what I'm really about. He lowers the bow and I breathe a sigh of relief. But my relief is only momentary as I hear Cato and Clove crashing through the underbrush looking for me. I start running again, Gale with me this time. He leads me where they won't find our tracks. Once we are far enough away, I find myself laid out on my back with Gale pointing an arrow at my face.

"What gives?" I spit at him. Seriously, could this have gone any worse? Actually, I don't think I want to know the answer to that.

"Explain one thing to me. Why did you team up with them?"

"It wasn't obvious last night. I needed their help to get rid of Thresh. You and me have a better chance against them than we did him. In all actuality, I was hoping they would kill each other off. But that didn't happen." He pulls back the arrow and I grope for one of my knives. If it's come down to between me and him, I choose me. I'll find another replacement.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Claudius announces. Gale and I both freeze. "There has been a rule change. If the last two tributes standing are from the same district, they will be declared the winners." I feel my eyes bulge as the announcement is repeated and I have to keep myself from laughing. He came through. The drunk bastard came through!

* * *

**Gale's POV**

I listen to the announcement both times to make sure I hear it correctly and then look at the girl laying on the ground at my feet. She seems relaxed and doing her best to hide her relief and excitement about something. What that is, I don't know. What I do care about is Haymitch's cryptic message from earlier. This must have been his plan all along. Of course, he knew what she was doing with the Careers since he had clear view of everything that is happening. The "trust her" message was to prepare me for this. But how did he know. Maybe he didn't and just wants me to trust her. He wants District Twelve to win this year and I don't blame him. I want to win this year to. But under this new rule, an extra life is saved and it could be the two of us. We could go home and the only time I'll ever have to see Snowden again is when we are training the new tributes.

I remove my bow and help her up. She nods and we head farther into the woods. I can't believe it. Any day can now be the final day of these Games. I decide to speak up and say something, especially since I can tell that she is relying more and more on her right ear. I walk up to that side of her and make a small cough to get her attention.

"What?" She asks.

"I wanted to know if you are okay, you know, since we're working together now."

"I'm fine."

"You don't seen fine."

"Well I am." She snaps. I don't say anything else and we walk in silence, both listening for Cato and Clove. We make it to some caves and make a shelter. We both know that any minute could be our last. After some time, she looks at me and actually smiles. I blush slightly and she laughs. I don't know what is so funny and then I feel it. There are nerves in my stomach matched only with the nerves I had when I first went into the woods to get food for my family. I don't understand it and push it away. That can't be what she's laughing at. Can it? A metallic sound causes me to turn and there is a silver parachute outside out cave. I open it and there is enough food for two.

* * *

**Snowden's POV:**

Gale's blush has set me laughing to hide my own blush that I know crept up my cheeks. I've never been this nervous. Ugh. Maybe it's just the thought that this could all be over at any minute. We split the food and I finally stop laughing long enough to eat. The laughter is gone once I finish. We've eaten the whole thing. I still can't believe that Haymitch managed to pull it off. He's managed to find a way to get us both home. The only problem now is Cato and Clove. They are no doubt hunting us, me mainly. I didn't exactly leave on good terms with them. Something that I should mention to Gale.

"Uh, Gale," I start and scratch the back of my head. He looks at me. "I may have messed up just a little bit. You see, when I ditched Cato and Clove, I burned their supplies except for the weapons they had on them."

"So, that's why you were running." I nod. "Great job. Twice, you've managed to bring them to their knees. But that is a problem. They know that the Gamemakers will be planning of a way to bring us all together. We should beat them to it. Those two have to go back to the lake some time. We are both skilled in ranged weapons and I know how to make traps. I was going to trap the three of you and then kill you all that way."

"That's…great to know." He shrugs. "So what do you propose we do?"

* * *

**The Arena:**

Snowden and Gale waited inside the Cornucopia, their trap baited. They had gathered a bush full of nightlock berries and used most of them as bait, littered across the ground. Their hope was that Cato and Clove would see them and eat them, thinking that either Snowden or Gale had dropped them in their run from them. It wasn't much of a stretch since it was more or less the truth. The two District Twelve tributes had managed to out run their opponents and scatter the berries as they ran. She smirked as Cato and Clove burst onto the plain. Clove bent to examine a berry and was about to eat it when Cato smacked it out of her hand. They exchanged a few tense words before she pulled out two knives and he drew the sword from his back. Gale bit back a curse. They hadn't fallen for their plan and now they would all have to fight. Snowden drew two knives and Gale loaded and arrow. They burst out of the Cornucopia and attacked the Careers, Snowden tackling Cato and Gale shooting an arrow at Clove which she dodges and throws a knife at Gale. He moves to avoid it and it grazes his left arm which is holding the bow. He ignores the wound and fires another arrow, leaving him with only three.

Snowden is rolling on the ground with Cato, both of them trying to gain the upper hand. Neither of them willing to lose. They both lose their grips on their weapons and resort to their hands. Cato manages to break Snowden's nose. She returns the favor by breaking his as well as a couple of teeth. The last day of Rue's life plays in her mind and she forgets about Clove and Gale. Cato was the ring leader of the Career pack. He would not have hesitated to kill that little girl. He had given her Thresh to kill because he thought it would break her, to be responsible for the death of both of District Eleven's tributes. The two of them roll towards Clove and knock her off balance which causes her to miss seeing Gale's arrow and it kills her. The canon goes off and Gale stands and aims another arrow. But he doesn't fire. He knows that he could easily kill Snowden if he missed.

The two combatants roll towards Snowden's knives and she manages to grab one, punching him in the throat to free on of her hands. She flips the knife so the blade is against her arm since Cato now has a hold of her from the back, and drive the knife backward, into his groin. He yells and let's go. She spins and slices his throat and leaves him gurgling. The canon goes off as she reaches Gale. They wait for the announcement declaring them the winners. Instead, they hear a different announcement.

"After further assessment of the rules," Claudius is saying, "there can only be one winner. May the odds be ever in your favor." The two look at each other and jump away, doubt in both of their eyes.

* * *

**Snowden's POV**

"Do it, Snow. Kill me and go home." Gale tells me. The moment the rule change was announced, we drew our weapons on each other. I know I can throw the knife and move before Gale has a chance to fire the arrow. The Gamemakers reversed their rule change. Whoever Haymitch got to change the rules renegaded on us. It pisses me off and I know I have to kill him. But I can't.

"Gale, no." I say. "I don't want to kill you." What the hell am I saying? I have to kill him. Coin and Boggs both said that this rebellion rests on my shoulders. Well Coin didn't actually say that, but she might as well have when she suggested my name for the mission. But here I am, ready to die and let Gale win everything and take my place. I look at the sky. "You made a deal with us when you changed the rules!" I yell. "You made the promise that we would both go home when we were the last two standing. Now we are! So let us go home!" I throw my knife into the ground and let it rest there. I am not going to kill him. He is one of the ones that I am doing this for. The council chose me to be their rebel leader. Well my rebellion starts now. Across from me, Gale throws the bow down and walks over to me and takes my hand. He gives it a confident squeeze.

"You said we could go home together." He calls next to me. "Honor your word." Still there is nothing and we walk, hand-in-hand, to the lake. Over the last few days, we'd become fast friends and neither of us could kill the other. If it comes down to it, we'll use the nightlock on ourselves. Coin will have to take our place, but we can be martyrs of sorts. We sit by the lake and look at each other. He's made the same decision I have and I pull out the berries. We split them and stand facing each other, holding out the berries for them to see. Sorry Coin. Sorry Boggs. But this is the only way. Gale and I raise the berries to our mouths and open. I'm about to bite the first one when I'm spitting them out while our names are being announced as the winners. We rinse our mouths out and look up happily at the hovercraft. Gale pulls me against him and I blush as he grabs onto the ladder and the two of us are frozen in place. We've won. We're going back to Twelve. The current does nothing to stop my bleeding nose and the moment the current releases us, I know I've lost too much blood and I lose consciousness.

* * *

**So, how was the ending? And no, this is not the end of the book. I'm planning on combining the three books into one and I have some changes I plan to make in regards to the plot of Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	14. Recovery

**So, I decided that I am going to combine the events from the three books of the series into one fic. So, wihtout further ado and with that quick announcement, back to the fic. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Gale's POV**

The moment Snowden slumps in my arms, I know something is wrong. The current didn't stop her bleeding nose and it was a long trip up here. Plus, I noticed another wound on her arm that was bleeding a lot to. She is taken from my arms and try to go after her. I feel responsible for her in some way. But other doctors push me back and a glass door separates me from Snowden. She is placed on a table and her bleeding nose is stopped. She is hooked up to tubes and wires on a silver table and the arm of her jacket is cut away. Somehow, Cato must have rolled them onto one of the blades on the ground and it cut into her muscle. In my heart, I know they are trying to save her, but in my head, I think they are trying to kill her. That they are mutts who've managed to separate us. I start throwing myself against the glass. Finally, I sit next to the glass and watch as the doctors work on my friend.

Friend? When did we become friends? She didn't save me. I didn't save her. Maybe, the experience? I definitely understand Haymitch a lot better now than I did when we were Reaped for this damned show. Friend it is then. I stare through the glass, past my rabid looking reflection, watching Snowden as she is stitched back together as best as they can do. Before I know it, we've landed on the roof of the Training Center and Snowden is wheeled out of the hovercraft. I'm so fixated on her that I miss the doctor with the needle coming at me.

* * *

**Snowden's POV**

I groan a little as I wake up and turn my head to the left and listen to the sheets rustling. Wait. I ruffle my hair. They fixed my hearing. Of course they did. The tributes have to look presentable during the crowning. I sigh and rub my eyes with my right arm, which hurts. I look over and barely see a bandage that runs the length of my upper arm. I wonder what happened. I don't remember rolling onto Cato's sword. The last thing I remember about the fight is slicing his throat. So much adrenaline must have been pumping that I didn't feel the pain. Hell, my nose didn't even hurt when it was broken. That's right, my nose. I put my right arm down and gently touch my nose. Just as I thought, it's been fixed. I wonder how long I've been in here. Oh well. I'm tired.

* * *

**Gale's POV**

I pace around my bedroom. Snowden is still in the hospital. The wound in her arm was worse than they thought and it was having trouble healing. The doctors have assured Haymitch that her arm won't have to be amputated. I was released a few days ago and Portia is keeping me on the strict diet the doctors have ordered me to be on for now. We had so little food in the Arena that I'm surprised how much my stomach shrunk. I pick up the wood block I brought with me from home and sit by the window. It's got a lion carved into it. I made it for Rory when he was younger. He gave it to me to be my good luck token. I guess it was.

I sneak out of my room and into Haymitch's. He's been gone for a while that I'm not too concerned he'll catch me. I find his spare knife and return to my room and return to the window. I start carving the block into the shape of an actual lion. I'm going to give it back to Rory when we get home. I smile. That's a pleasing thought. Home. Back to Katniss and the woods. Mom and the kids. With my winnings, we'll never starve again. We can live in a warm house and never have to worry about the cold. Just thinking about the cold reminds me that winter is coming and that Katniss and her family will still be in their drafty house in the Seam. I don't expect Snowden to share her house with them and I don't think I can share mine since I am already bringing my family along. I'll just have to help her hunt and buy her things when I can. Maybe we can even take Snowden with us and teach her how to use a bow and she can teach Katniss how to fight by hand. I have a feeling those two would be great friends.

A knock interrupts my thoughts of home and Haymitch enters. He looks at the knife in my hands and smiles, a sign that I can keep it. I continue carving and he sits on my bed.

"What's the news?" I ask.

"They want to air your reunion. So when they release her, you won't see her until the crowing ceremony." He answers me and looks out the window. I wonder what he's thinking about. He hasn't exactly been this talkative before.

"And when should they be releasing her?" I ask. He looks at me again.

"They should be releasing her in a couple more days. They want to monitor her arm to make sure it's healed right. You know you are going to be asked about the berries." He tells me and I nod. "She blushed when you tucked her under your arm."

"What of it?"

"The Capitol is going to think the two of you dying together was an act of love."

"She was embarrassed by my supporting her. I'll tell them that we are only friends. Neither of us want it to be more than that."

"So denial. That could work on your part. Hers to. I'll tell her when I see her." He looks at the block of wood in my hands. "You are good at that. Maybe we can present that as your talent." Then he leaves and I look out the window. A love angle. We deny it and it won't be far from the truth. I mean I blushed during the interviews when I was asked about what she was wearing. I guess we can do it. I sigh and continue working. In a couple of days, Portia will be dressing me up for the ceremony.

* * *

**Snowden's POV**

I wake up in the middle of the night to really dim light and quiet. I turn my head and see Haymitch sitting at the foot of my bed. So, he's the reason I'm awake. He presses the button that raises me into a sitting position and then sits back down. We don't say anything for a while and I just look at him, trying to figure out what to say. I want to ask how he got in here, but that doesn't really matter anymore. He's here. He's my spy now. I've proved to the council that I am the person to lead this rebellion. Finally,

"Who renegaded on us?" I ask.

He shifts his position a little before answering. "No one did. Seneca thought that it would be great entertainment to sic the two of you on each other after you worked so hard to win." Haymitch answers me. "It was Snow who came in and told them to change it back. I'm not sure why and everyone who was in that room was shocked that he came himself into the HQ. You've got to be careful now. I've talked with Gale. We can play it off with the love angle, except the two of you are in denial about being in love and only friends. That the two of you grew to love each other while working together under the idea you both could go home. His holding you and your blush will help that along. It's better than the truth." My blush? That was real. Oh shit. I'm in trouble now. I'm going to have to tell Gale about who I really am. Maybe. Maybe I can keep him out of this. But if he's going to be the one to take my place, he has to know.

"What's the truth?"

"That your stunt with the berries was an act of rebellion and not a lovesick teenage romance."

I look at my lap. That was a stupid thing to do. I should have just killed him. Now I've brought him into this mess. But he's supposed to be my replacement. I have to tell him about me. Otherwise, if the time comes that he has to take my place, he won't believe it. "He can't know about the real me." I hear myself saying. I close my eyes for a moment. I can't believe this. My head and my heart have to quit fighting each other and right now, my heart is winning. "I know I said I wanted him as my replacement, but I can't. He could have killed me numerous times in the Arena and he didn't. It would be poor repayment if I brought him into this danger."

"He'll have to know sooner or later."

"I hope he'll never have to know." He can't know. I'll have to do my best to shield him. That's going to be hard since I may have plenty of visitors from Thirteen. Coin knows that calling would be unwise as my phone could be tapped, especially if Snow thinks I'm part of a rebellion. Which begs the question, why? Why did he change the rules back to the two of us as victors? It doesn't make any sense. I need to find out what's going on.

Haymitch leaves and I go back to sleep. I need my rest. Even though my arm is feeling better, I doubt that they plan to let me go anytime soon. I've been in here a long time. It's been nice and I like the relaxation. But I know that I should start asking to leave. I have to face the public sooner or later. I take a deep breath and picture the moon I often looked at when I was at home and fall asleep with that picture in my mind.

* * *

**Yes, I focused a lot on Gale in this chapter. I can do it more often if you all like how I'm presenting him. Also because Snowden was healing it seemed like a good idea to get the other victor's thoughts. And what do you think of Snow changing the rules? Hehehehe. Thanks for reading and please review :)**


	15. Home

**Snowden's POV:**

I look at the clothes on the bed. They are the ones I wore into the arena. The ones that I nearly died in countless times. I hug myself while I look at them, feeling my bones. I had been hearing Haymitch fight with the doctors about how much I should be fixed. He obviously won, but I wonder what the compromise had to be. Slowly, I dress, noticing the shortness of my right sleeves. They must have had to cut them away so they could get to the wound which is no long bandaged and I can use my arm again without pain. Once I'm dressed, I wait by the wall where the door is. After another minute, it opens and I step out into the hallway. I don't bother calling out for Gale, I know he's already out. He wasn't as badly injured as I was. At least that's a relief. I hear my name and when I turn, I see Effie, Haymitch, and Cinna. I start walking towards them and it starts to seem too slow and I run forward and throw myself into Haymitch's arms first. I let Effie pat me on the back and then Cinna is hugging me. God, I've missed him. Not to mention that I'm hoping this will help our denial case. But I doubt it. I don't see Gale and for a moment, I panic. Then I remember that Haymitch told me Gale was alright. They must want to televise our reunion. That's just great. Oh well, we have to play along now. We'll have to play along for the rest of our lives and there's no telling how long that will be.

Cinna takes me from the room and into an elevator that goes up. Curled underneath Cinna's arm, I feel small and protected as we cross the lobby of the training center to the tribute elevators. On instinct, I hide myself from the small amount of guards on duty and I don't relax until my prep team is taking me from Cinna to the dining room where I am fed a good meal, but on strict rations which have been slightly increased. In my room, I'm left alone with Octavia, Venia, and Flavius. I'm taken aback by how different I look in the mirror. I knew I was thin, but feeling it and seeing it are two different things. I can easily count my ribs. Venia sweeps me into the shower when she sees my distress and takes care of the settings for me. I stand and soak and think about all of the dead tributes who didn't go home alive. Now that I've proven myself to the council, so much more blood is going to be on my hands. It's something that I'm going to have to do alone.

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

I look in the mirror a moment longer, taking in how I look. Portia was able to design the suit to make it look like I've been surgically altered. Even though I've been well fed for the past week, I still don't look as good as I did before the Arena. And Snowden probably looks worse than I do. I wonder what Cinna is gonna do to make her look like she's been fixed. This ceremony is going to be hell. We are going to have to sit and watch the Games, see things that we've missed. I adjust my jacket before turning towards the elevators. Portia has got me in a snow gray suit that shimmers as if it is a coal glowing in a fire place. We have to act like we're denying the fact we're in love. But I can't help but wonder if we're not more than friends. I mean, what if she feels more than that? What if I do? Can we really pull off this denial angle? I sigh and step onto the elevator with Portia. We are taken to below the training center and I am centered on a metal plate. About ten yards away is a wall. Snowden is probably behind that, on her own metal plate.

The next thing I know, Caesar Flickerman is greeting the audience and then cheers for the prep teams and then for Effie followed by Cinna and Portia. Haymitch's cheers last a good five minutes and then I am being raised onto the stage. The roar is deafening and then I see Snowden. She is in a snow gray long gown held up by one shoulder strap that looks like it crosses her front with her hair twisting over the bare shoulder. She hasn't been surgically altered, but the dress makes it look like she has been. In the lights, she looks like she is also a glowing ember. We both take a step and then she is flinging herself into my arms and we both nearly fall. We hold each other close, just a hug, and I can tell she is making sure she isn't dreaming since I am doing the same thing. Caesar clears his throat and she pulls out of the hug, her face red from a blush rising on her cheeks, bringing out her snow-gray eyes. I take her hand and lead her to the velvet couch. We sit with some space between us and I glance at her. Caesar makes a few jokes at our expense and then the show begins. I take a deep breath and try to prepare myself. The only time I ever saw Snowden kill was when she killed Foxface and I'm not even sure she knows how brutal she was in that moment. I let her take my hand as the seal appears and we watch.

* * *

**Snowden's POV:**

I'm not ready for the show that begins and I take Gale's hand and he doesn't mind. The first half hour is full of the pre-arena events. Once again, I have to watch myself walk through a corridor of strangers to the stage where my fate has already been decided. I feel my breath catch for the chariot ride and how we look. Then there are our training scores, for all twenty-four tributes, and then our interviews. I keep my face blank as they show the bloodbath and my killing of the boy from nine. Then there's my alliance with little Rue, the explosion of the food and for the first time, I see Gale a few feet behind me with his arrow. Then there is when Rue died. It shows how the two tributes caught her and tortured her until she finally screamed my name. Seconds later, I burst into the clearing, there is a moment and then I am jumping at my enemies. The reaction box appears in the corner of the screen and I can tell both me and Gale are shocked by my ferocity. A second screen appears and it shows Gale watching me kill Foxface and try to save Rue. I didn't even know he was there. Am I going to have to tell him where I learned that? Is Caesar going to ask me that question tomorrow?

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

Snowden grips my hand tighter while we watch her most ferocious kill and I think she may have blacked out in that moment. We watch our confrontation with the boy from One. We watch as she makes her deal with Cato and Clove and they hunt Thresh in the fields on the other side of the lake. We watch as she sets fire while they are away, but Cato and Clove come back before she can get away and they chase her, but she is faster. That's when we run into each other again and there's the announcement. I realize that we don't seem to like each other at all. Well, according to Haymitch, we didn't start liking each other until we started working together. The music for the final battle becomes more dramatic and I see what I hadn't before. The wound on Snowden's arm happens when they knock Clove down. She had a knife in her hand when I killed her and she doesn't let go and Snowden rolls right under it and it slices her arm. The rest happens in a blur for me and I see Snowden touch her arm with her left hand. They play our last words before we decide to kill ourselves and there's a collective awe when I say 'Snow' instead of 'Snowden'. It skips the part where we are yelling at the sky and focuses on us holding hands and nearly eating the berries. The show ends with me staring at Snowden as she is being taken from the hovercraft. The seal appears again and we stand as Snow and a girl take the stage. She is holding a cushion with two crowns on it. They stop in front of us and he places a crown on each of our heads. I meet his eyes and am surprised to see that his eyes are the same color as Snowden's. What the hell?

* * *

**Snowden's POV:**

I look up at Cinna and try to smile. He's dressed me in a simple gray dress that goes to my ankles and he kept my feet bare. "You'll be fine. Come on, they're waiting for you." I nod and let him lead me to the sitting room where Gale is waiting. He's dressed in pants and a shirt that is the same soft gray color of my dress. We sit and let Caesar starts the live interview. We joke some to get some sort of rapport going and then he starts asking questions like how we were feeling.

"Snowden, I have to ask, when Rue died, you went into a sort of frenzy. Where did you learn how to do that?"

"I think it was instinct." I say with a shrug. "She reminded me of my little sister who died with my parents." A lie, but who's gonna know? My parents are dead. "I always felt bad because I felt I should have been able to protect her and I couldn't." I fidget with my necklace. Cinna was able to get it back to me while I was getting dressed. Caesar asks a few more questions and then he's talking about the berries. He asks what each of us were thinking. Gale answers before I can.

"I was able to get to know her when we worked together those last days. I couldn't imagine being able to live knowing that I had left her behind to die in the Arena." He says and they both look at me.

"The same for me. Now that I've gotten to know Gale, I don't think I would have been able to live with myself knowing he had died while I lived. It wouldn't have been right." I feel a weight lift from my shoulders and I know that the rebellion is safe, for now. The rest of the interview goes off without a hitch and soon enough, we're back on the train to Twelve. Gale and Haymitch are excited to be going home. I only act excited. I wish I was going back to Thirteen. That's home for me. But, I guess I have to make twelve my adopted home. Twelve is my home until the rebellion begins. There's no telling how long I'll have to lay low.

* * *

**Gale's POV**

I look out the window as we pull into Twelve's station. Everyone is there. I even see Katniss and her family. Her mother seems to have finally come around. Maybe the thought of her daughter losing her closest friend scared her enough that she realized that she had to pay attention. Katniss and Prim are not safe. I hope I'm not the one who is going to have to train them. I don't think I would be able to handle that.

We step off the train and Mom and the kids hug me. Snowden stands off to the side, a stranger it seems like, letting the cameras take her in before she lets Haymitch lead her away. Some cameras follow them and then Katniss is next to me, hugging me and so is Prim. They are like my family to. "Come by my place. I want you to meet someone." I whisper to Katniss and then Effie is whisking me and my family towards Victor's Village, Snowden and Haymitch quite a ways ahead of us. I can't help but love that fact that I am home. Home.

* * *

**I know, a lot of POV changes, but i wanted to give you what they were thinking more than usual. Might do Snowden's reaction to her knew home and then a time jump or i just may do a time jump of some sort. thanks for reading and please review**


	16. Friends

**Snowden's POV**

I look around the study I've locked myself in for the past three months. Three months. I can't believe months have passed since I was lifted from that Arena. Every morning, I wake up thinking that I have to get ready to go back in. Then I remember. I won. Gale won. The council got their damned champion. Their public figure. They don't know that she is broken inside. They don't know that she can't sleep at night because she sees every tribute she killed in her nightmares. Haymitch says those will stop. But he's lying. I know they won't. It's why he drinks so much. He drinks to keep the nightmares away. If I didn't value my health, I would probably be drinking as well. The worst part of my nightmares is always seeing little Rue. I got her killed. I should have been there to protect her. Instead, I was there as she died. In my nightmares, she just stares at me from a tree or from a few feet away, her broken legs supporting her. Sometimes Thresh is there, supporting her or holding her, a gaping hole in his throat where I drove my dagger to end his life.

Three distinct raps on my door bring me out of my musings and I get up from my chair to answer it. It's Gale. Haymitch doesn't knock and comes in through the back door if he comes by at all. The cameras left months ago, and since then, Gale stopped sneaking to the back door to bring me food. He's been doing that for me, bringing me food. I can't bring myself to leave my house to go and do it. I don't feel welcome in this place. I would rather have gone back to District Thirteen where I know I would have been welcome, but that would have been suspicious and then Twelve would have had to pay for it and I can't let that happen. Especially since Gale is the one person here who I care about. He's my friend. Something I've never had.

"Hey," he says and walks in. I look at him, expecting him to hand me a box of groceries. Instead, he hands me my coat and a hair tie. I look at him. "I'm getting you out of this house." He says. "You can't live the rest of your life here. You need to get the people to trust you if you're going to mentoring their kids in nine months."

"I am quite content to be staying in my house, thank you very much." I shoot back. But he isn't listening and is pulling me out of the house and I'm forced to put on my coat as he pulls me to a meadow. He calls it The Meadow, which makes no sense to me. But I follow along. It's not like I have anything better to do right now. He shows me the hole where we crawl under the fence and makes me go first. He follows close behind and walks straight to a log that is just inside the tree line and pulls out a bow. He takes my hand and leads me to a stone outcropping where someone is waiting. He whistles and the person waves us over. It's his best friend, Katniss Everdeen. If Gale hadn't told me that night before our Games started, I would have thought they were siblings, at least cousins. My first thought had been a couple, but he said that they were friends and I guess that would have to be that. Of course, with the ruse we have to keep up now, he's not going to tell me if they like each other in that way.

"Morning," she greets and we get up to where she is at, a rocky ledge that overlooks a valley. If I didn't have so much riding on me, I could ditch these two and start heading towards my real home.

"Morning," I answer and sit down on the far side of the ledge, careful not to fall off. This is the first time that I've ever sat and talked with Katniss and after a few minutes, it's easy to see that she's somewhat like me. She enjoys being outside boundaries and she's a provider. I never had to provide food like she does, but I did provide information to Coin. She has a younger sister named Prim who had just turned twelve before our Reaping. Was that that girl that was supposed to have been Reaped? If so, it would have Katniss in the arena instead of me. She'll never know how lucky she is to have not gone through what I've gone through. But she is only sixteen, going on seventeen. She still has two more Reapings to get through before she is safe and then Prim is still in danger. All this does is remind me that I have to fight so that Katniss and her family will be safe from everything else. These Games cannot go on.

After we finish eating, Katniss and Gale take me to walk along their snare line and watch them as they carefully reset the traps Gale set himself. It still amazes me how he can set a trap so effortlessly. When we stop to eat lunch while they wait for game, Gale tries to teach me to tie a knot for a snare which I am kind of successful at. After we eat a quick lunch, Katniss hands me a bow and I look at Gale.

"Seriously? The last time I had a bow in my hands, I couldn't get the arrow to fly five feet. If that."

"I know. And that is why we are going to teach you. Katniss is one of the best shots I know."

"Is that compared to yourself?" I ask and try not to flinch. I can't lose my temper again like I did during the Games. I have to play nice now.

"Some of the other tributes were pretty good shots." He defends and I roll my eyes.

"Gale, why am I even out here?"

"Because I asked him to bring you." Katniss says. I look at her. "It's been three months since you've been here and I feel like you don't even feel welcome. No one even knew about you until you were Reaped a few months ago."

"And I don't mind that." I say, but I smile anyway. This one girl, not even seventeen yet, who has a younger sister, is making time to make me feel welcome. If I had really been born and raised in Twelve, we might have even been friends. Maybe we still could be if I wasn't a spy for Thirteen. I sigh and accept the bow. No knowing when the skill might come in handy. "Alright, how do I do this?"

* * *

**Meanwhile in Twelve:**

He glared at the bottle of spirits in his hand and began to amble over to Snowden's house. He had gotten a letter from Coin for the girl. It was the first Thirteen had corresponded with either of them in three months. He hadn't read it, knowing the wrath he would incur from both Snowden and Coin if he were to see the contents, not that he would be able to understand a word considering how drunk he was. He had started drinking heavily again the moment he had gotten back to his house after dropping Snowden off at hers. She had wanted to be alone, that was easy to see. He only ever saw her on the rare occasions that he would go over to her house. He saw Gale stop by all the time with groceries for the girl and she would pay him what they cost. She never left her house. Not that he blamed her, not after what she had to go through. He needed to make sure that she had a talent and find one fast if she didn't. She had three months left until the victory tour began.

He walked around her house to the back door and walked in. She knew better than to leave it open, but she knew that he came in through the back. He didn't say anything and just walked down the hall to her study. The door was open which was odd. Whenever he would come, it was always closed and she wouldn't let him see inside. Curious, he opened the door and went in. All over the walls were sketches in coal or pencil. None of them had color, but the scenes were recognizable. Most of them were of woods and animals that she had seen when she was in Thirteen he guessed. Others were from the arena. The Cornucopia with all twenty-four tributes surrounding it. Scenes from the woods. Then there were people. Thresh. Cato and Clove. Gale. A lot of them were of Rue perched in a tree watching over all of it with a bird's eye view. The work astounded him. He had never thought that someone from Thirteen could have this kind of talent. He knew that Cinna worked hard to become the stylist he is.

"Get away from there with that bottle, Haymitch." Snowden's voice reached him and he jumped, looking at her from the picture of Gale in a hunting stance, about to shoot a bow.

"I-"

"What are you doing here?" Her snow-gray eyes were set on him in the same way Coin looked at him to make sure he got the message.

"I came to check on you. See if you had a talent." Snowden looked at her drawings.

"It's something I did in my free time in Thirteen. I didn't work on many before the Games. Afterwards, I felt I had to in order to preserve the good moments."

"Still having the nightmares?" She nodded. "The tour is coming up in three months."

"I know. Effie keeps calling and sending me all kinds of instructions for it. I got the approved speech last night." Haymitch nodded. "Can I pull this off, Haymitch? What the council wants me to do?"

"You doubt yourself?"

"I'm asking because you're the only one who can tell me the truth. You're the only one who knows what it's like to be a victor. Besides Gale of course, but I can't tell him about this."

"You're gonna have to sooner or later, Snowden." Haymitch answered. "But as for your question, quit thinking that you are broken. Instead, use your experience to help you remember why you were chosen by the council. The people will rally to you because you are fighting to stop the injustices of the Games and end them because you know how horrible it is to be there."

She nodded before speaking again. "Did Coin tell you who was supposed to be Reaped instead of me? A twelve year old girl. A little girl was supposed to go in and I got put in her place. Whoever that girl is, she has no idea how lucky she is." Haymitch smiled and walked over to Snowden and nodded.

"This came for you by the way." He handed her the letter. She smiled and he left. She closed the door behind him and he let himself out the back where he saw Gale watching him from his own backyard. Haymitch walked over to him instead of toward his house. "Have you been working on your carvings?" Gale nodded.

"What were you doing over there?"

"Checking on her. Unlike you, she doesn't have anybody. Except me. She just has me."

"She has me. And Katniss."

"You have your family." Haymitch said and walked away, leaving Gale to his own thoughts. Haymitch took another swig of spirits as he entered his house and made his way to the kitchen table where he was going to sleep.

* * *

**A sweet chapter to lighten the mood. might have at least part of another moment in the woods, might be between Snowden and Gale, not sure yet. Kinda wanting to know your thoughts on it. Thanks for reading and please review :)**


	17. Life in Twelve

**Snowden's POV:**

I look at the letter Haymith put in my hand. It's from Coin. It's the first letter I've gotten from her in the three months that I have been here. I'm almost tempted to throw it out and not worry about it anymore. I don't think I can deal with the stress of having to answer to her and keep up the charade with Gale and Katniss. I've been meeting them in the woods for the past few days and I realized today that they are my friends, that they would have been my friends had I actually been born in Twelve instead of abandoned outside Thirteen. The only reason I open the letter is because there might be something from Boggs inside it.

_Dragon, _cute, they already have name for me. Oh well. _Dragon, we are glad to see that you have accomplished your mission and you have done it in a way that has sparked rebellion. We have been getting reports of uprisings in the Districts and cries about the injustices of the Games in which you were forced to take part in. Our intel says that the enemy is trying to quell the outbursts. When it comes time for the Victory Tour, do not try to quell the people. Stoke the fire. Do not reply to this message. We will be contacting you soon with further instructions._

That's all they have to say! I can't believe this. This letter was written by the damn council and they're being vague enough that this could be anyone should the messenger have gotten caught. I can't believe them! I would have been better off burning the damn thing. Coin is in charge, not the council! I'm about to tear the letter and the envelope when I notice the envelope is too thick to be normal. There is something else hidden there. Something that only I would notice as it was my own way of hiding the important information in letters. Carefully, I unfold the envelope and see the letter from Boggs.

_Snowden, I hope you haven't already burnt the envelope in your anger. I understand that you are angry at the council and so seeing a letter from them first would upset you. But I know you are smarter than that and hopefully noticed the second envelope. We are proud of you, Snow. You did what everyone else was afraid to do. You won the Games and got a second tribute out with you. But that being said, you must be very careful now. You are on Snow's radar and it is no secret that the recent uprisings are because of yours and Gale's actions in the arena. He will also be a target of the president's. I don't have to tell you that he is now your responsibility. You brought him into this mess, you have to make sure he survives it. Coin believes it would have been easier if you had just killed him. It took some work, but I managed to convince her that your keeping him alive showed the rest of Panem how wrong these Games are. _

_ As for your codename, that was my idea. The council wanted to give you something catchy for when you were revealed as the inspiration, but that wouldn't fit with the way you reacted to Rue's death. Remember the things I taught you. Remember what I told you to do when you feel your temper starting to get out of control. This is going to be a long assignment and we can't have you losing it at a crucial moment. The best advice I can give you is to draw. You were always good at that here in Thirteen. It'll help in the long run. Keep fighting, Dragon. Boggs_

I smile at the letter and breathe a sigh of relief, glad I didn't burn it just yet. I do, however, toss the council's letter into the fire. I carefully fold the paper back into an envelope and then reach for a desk drawer.

"What's that?" Katniss's voice comes from behind me. I spin, paper still in hand, to find the girl I was just hunting with standing in the doorway of my office.

"Just the approved speech for the Victory Tour." I say and I'm not lying. Somehow, I managed to drop Bogg's letter and grab the speech as I turned. Good thing since it was a two sided letter and she would have seen Bogg's name and started asking questions. She shrugs and nods for me to follow her to my kitchen. I put the speech on my desk and follow her. Gale is sitting at the table, raw meat in front of him. "What's this?" I question. I've been hanging out with them for about two weeks now and they've never done this.

"I found all this meat in your cooler."

"Okay, so I was saving it." My plan was to send it to Thirteen next time one of them came through actually. Thirteen is in desperate need of actual food.

"You don't save food around here, Snowden." Katniss says.

"And who are you to say what I do with my own food?" I ask with a smirk and Katniss flounders which gets Gale laughing.

"Snow," he says and I turn to look at him and he suddenly blushes. I raise an eyebrow and he gets a hold of himself. "Technically, what we are doing outside is illegal. It is poaching. We usually sell this food at the Hob or we take it home and that's dinner."

"Well with all the meat you give me, how am I supposed to eat that all by myself?" I ask and Gale nods in the direction of Haymitch's house. "Oh hell no. No way, Gale."

"Why not? He's one of us."

"I am aware of that. But I don't need him and alcohol near an open flame. I happen to like this house." Katniss giggles and both of us turn to look at her and she turns a bright shade of red, embarrassed at being caught. "What?" I ask. She says nothing and picks up the meat and starts going to my cellar. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm gonna teach you something my dad taught me. Come on." She says. I look at Gale and he mutely follows. Evidently, when Katniss gets something in her head, there's no changing her mind. Sort of like Gale. I'm beginning to wonder if they actually are related as I follow them downstairs.

* * *

"Katniss, where are we going?" I ask as she leads me into the area known as the Seam. She and Gale brought me here about two months ago to show me the Hob and get me acquainted with the people there in case I go hunting without them. Which I do, I just leave the meat for someone from Thirteen to find. I managed to get a letter to Boggs explaining it. The next time I went to place meat, there was a note from Coin thanking me for providing for the people. That was the last time I've heard from any of them. Though, I don't blame them. It has been six months since Gale and I won the Games and our prep teams and stylists will be here tomorrow.

"You'll see." She tells me. She's been like this all day. After hunting this morning, she went off on her own to the Hob while Gale and I walked back to Victor's Village. I wasn't expecting to see her until tomorrow when we planned to go hunting again. That was until she was knocking on my door about fifteen minutes ago telling me to get ready. I may have let it slip that tomorrow starts the Victory Tour. From what Effie has told me, the Victory Tour starts in Twelve and descends down towards One and then the Capitol with the victor's district being saved for the very last. This year, that means Twelve which doesn't promise to be very good as this District is so poor.

I look around and notice that we are getting close to the Meadow where we exit to go hunting. I'm thinking that we're going back out into the woods when Katniss pulls me towards a simple little house. Prim runs out of it to meet us.

"Yay! You made it!" She says and I look at Katniss. She's grinning from ear to ear. What does she have planned? Whatever it is, she's got her family in on it I bet. That's just wonderful. That's actually the last thing I need right now.

"I was talking to Gale this morning and he said that you are leaving for the Victory Tour tomorrow." Katniss says. They must have been talking when they sent me to check the lines. They're determined to make sure that I can take care of myself. I feel insulted since I managed to survive in the arena on minimal food. The sisters pull me into the door and I knock the snow off my boots and take off my coat. I can barely place it over a chair when Prim is pulling me to sit on a chair next to her. Katniss's mother places a bowl of deer meat stew in front of me and I take a bite and look around the house. I immediately love it. The small fire and the four of us around the table. It feels right to me. And it's something I've never had.

"You have a wonderful home." I say without thinking and I see Katniss and Prim smile.

"I'm glad you like it." Katniss's mother tells me as she looks around her house. I take a bite of the stew she's made. Katniss and I took down the meat this morning and I insisted she have it all. "Though, I don't doubt it's much simpler than what you're used to." I choke on a bite of deer meat which burns as it goes down, not to mention my cheeks are burning. Prim giggles at my distress and Katniss hides her face in her hands. I look at Mrs. Everdeen and swallow the broth.

"Honestly, it's better than my place. Feels more like home." I say and take a drink of water and I hear Katniss chuckling. Though, my comment is not far from the truth. Katniss's home feels more like a home than my place in Victor's Village does. In Victor's Village, I eat dinner alone with a single candle on the table and I sleep in my office. I haven't been able to bring myself to go to the bed when I know there are people who would kill, and have killed, for that comfort. We all laugh over the rest of dinner and then Gale arrives with a cake from the bakery which we all share. The evening ends with Gale and I walking hand-in-hand back to Victor's Village. There is no one around. I can tell him about me now. But I don't. The only reason being that he doesn't need to know. The words from Bogg's letter comes back to me. I have to keep Gale alive and I know the Capitol. The less he knows, the safer he will be. I squeeze his hand and he looks down at me.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"I was just thinking about the tour. You know we are going to be asked again about those berries. I can't help but wonder if something happened because of it."

"We'll be fine." He says. "We did it out of desperate love, remember?" We stop at my door and he pulls me into a hug. "We'll be fine, Snow. Don't worry. Get some sleep. And not in your office please."

"How-" He cuts me off by kissing me on the lips and then walks away, leaving me stunned. After a few minutes, I finally manage to clear my head and open my door. Automatically, I walk to my office where I have a cot made up. Gale's right. We'll be fine. There's no reason to worry. My mind goes back to his lips on mine as I open the door.

"Good evening, Miss Caltrit."

* * *

**Good feelings gone... thanks for reading and please review.**


	18. An Unexpected Visit

**President Snow's POV:**

I watch as the giddiness in my granddaughter melts away at my voice. I'm not sure what happened to make her feel that way, but I can guess and she had been happy. The fact that hearing my voice made her change is wrong. She shouldn't be afraid of me. I talked to her often while she was in her mother's womb. But it's not fear I see in her eyes. Not fear of me, anyway. Maybe fear that I will discover a secret. Before I can fully read what I see in her eyes, it is replaced by a stormy calm. I remember when that look would be in her mother's eyes as a child. She looks so much like her except she has her father's hair. Most of the children in the Capitol are born in labs and the mothers don't carry them for the nine months. But Snowden's mother wanted to. She didn't care what her friends thought of how her body looked and that the marks were not beautiful. What made my daughter feel beautiful was holding the baby in her arms. The same baby whom she carried inside her body for nine months. The same baby who stands before me now, almost eighteen years old. She was born in the winter. Right at the beginning of winter. There was snow in the Capitol the night she was born. But I know that not everywhere has snow. It's not that time of year yet. Eleven will be getting ready for their harvests. Winter is next month. So is Snowden's birthday.

"President Snow, hello." She says. God, even her voice sounds like her mother. If only I had been able to raise you, Snowden. You would have grown up in the lap of luxury and you have never needed to worry about the Games. You would have been safe from this starving place.

"Sit." I tell her, but she doesn't. She doesn't trust me. Why should she? Seneca changed the rules on her twice for entertainment value. If he hadn't done that, I never would have needed to step in. I move over to the drawings she has tacked to the wall or taped. They are remarkable. This must be the talent she's developed for the tour. It's not one she got from my family. Maybe her father. "These are amazing, Miss Caltrit."

"President Snow, what are you doing here?" She asks. Right to the point. Like her mother used to be with her father.

"Very well." I take a seat in front of the desk while she remains standing. "I have a problem, Miss Caltrit. One that you caused." A flicker of recognition, maybe hope, flashes in her eyes before replaced by the same calm mask from before. "This problem started when you and pulled out the poisonous berries. You and your fellow victor demanded that Seneca honor his word and let the two of you win. The two of you claim that it was an act of a sudden realization of love. You followed this up with the denial that you actually love each other and became fast friends in the short time the two of you worked together." She nods, as if agreeing with my words. "The people in the Capitol were convinced. However, some people in the districts didn't fall for your act." She looks away for a moment before meeting my eyes again. Does she know about the uprisings? That's impossible. The only person here who would have that information would be the mayor and I know that Snowden has not been to see him. "For some in the districts, your act with the berries was an act of defiance. What I am getting at, what is to prevent them from starting uprisings?"

"There have been uprisings?" She asks, almost as if to confirm something.

"Not yet. But if the mood in the districts does not change, then there will be. And uprisings have been known to lead to rebellion." There it is again. That flicker of recognition. She knows about the uprisings. But how? Has she been talking to the Peacekeepers? I may have to make some changes to Twelve. She shouldn't know about the uprisings. They're the only ones with access to that information. I may have to bring Thread in to take care of the place and ensure that an uprising doesn't start here.

"Your system must be very fragile if a handful of berries can bring it down." She says before I can continue. Of course she would know about that. She is smart, like her mother. She would have learned about the Dark Days and the system we have in place now with the Games.

"The system is fragile, but not in the way you think." I answer.

"I didn't mean to start any uprisings." Snowden answers quickly and defensively. She is hiding something. Are there rebels still alive? Could that be where my precious granddaughter went after she was born?

"I believe you." I lie but she doesn't relax. Instead, her posture seems to become more defensive itself. "Your stylist was prophetic in his clothing choices. Snowden Caltrit, the girl who was on fire, the Dragon some are saying." She fingers the necklace she wears, the silver dragon, her token. Who gave it to her? Are they the ones who stole her from me? "You have provided a spark that, left unattended, will start a fire that will grow into an inferno and it will destroy Panem as we know it.

"Then just kill me now and get it over with." She says and I know it's a challenge. Someone has gotten to her. Someone has corrupted my granddaughter. Whoever it is will pay dearly for it.

"Publicly? That would only add to the flames."

"Arrange an accident then." She says, knowing that now one would believe it. She knows she wouldn't and everyone in Panem wouldn't and that would add to the flames as well. Besides, she is the last I have of her mother. "What do you want me to do?" She asks when I don't answer. This is the part I dreaded. If she is smart, she'll get my meaning. I could go to her fellow tribute in the morning. I still might. The stylists won't be here until noon. But my advisors say that it was her idea. She pulled out the berries. She is the one who will cause trouble. She is the one who has to fix it. I've seen her disappear to the meadow with Gale and his cousin, a wisp of a girl. They must be providing for their district. Thread will have to fix that problem to. Keep the fences on. I noticed they weren't when I got here. "What do you want me to do to avert the uprisings?"

"Convince me that you and Gale are in love. No denials. No coy games. The two of you are in love and have been since the Games and can't deny it anymore." I stand and take my leave, standing next to her for a moment, remembering her mother. I want to say something more, but what is there to say. You're my granddaughter and you were stolen as a baby. She wouldn't believe that. It was hard enough for me to believe it. The only reason I can be sure she is my family is because I had the doctors test her blood while she was in recovery and her DNA matches half of my daughter's perfectly. I'll save you, Snowden, I swear it.

**Snowden's POV:**

"Good night, Miss Caltrit." He says and then I hear the door click. I wait until I hear my front door open and close and then I let myself crumple to the floor. What the hell? Snow does not come to the districts to talk with the victors. The only way I can be sure of this is because he mentioned the uprisings. That's the second time I've heard of them. I thought the council was lying to me to get me to start them. But it's clear that we've already done that. The giddiness I felt as I walked in is replaced with dread as I think about it again. Gale and Katniss are in danger. They will always be in danger if I can't figure out a way to save them. I need to get a message to Coin. Tell her I'm going to have to play along. I'm going to have to lie to her. She'll want to know why I am not going along with the councils plans to start uprisings. What do I tell her? That now is not the right time. That's gotta be what I say. I can't say that the boy I possibly love is in danger of being killed along with his best friend and their families. I think about the fun I had with Katniss and Prim and their mother and Gale. It was something new, and something special. Katniss and Prim don't know the horrors Gale and I go through every night. They shouldn't have to fear them. I know that the Games have to end as soon as possible.

I force myself to stand and immediately leave the office and the smell of blood that I hadn't noticed until he spoke in my ear. It's disgusting. Everything runs through my mind. I won't be able to get word to Coin until I get to the Capitol where a contact has been set up for me to send letters through. It'll take about a week for us to get there having to go through all of the districts for the tour. But that will have to do. They'll be able to send it quickly from the Capitol. I have to tell someone though. Without Coin or Boggs, that only leaves me two people: Gale and Haymitch. I can't tell Haymitch until we are on the train and I can get us off to talk without being overheard. And I have to tell Gale. I have to warn him. I can't pull this off without him. I'll tell him in the morning. I'll get him from his house early and we'll go into the woods where we can't be overheard.

I let a tear fall as I fall into the bed that I won. I have two choices for my future and I don't know which one to choose.

* * *

**Quite a bit different from Katniss's conversation with Snow, but I hope it works. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	19. In Love

**Snowden's POV:**

I walk quickly to the house a few doors down from me and enter through the back. Hazelle is up and getting food ready for the kids. She nods to me and I force a smile. I wasn't able to sleep at all last night, fearing that Snow would come back and kill me in my sleep. I am tired and knowing that I have to talk to Gale before the teams arrive isn't helping. Hazelle forces a mug of something warm into my hand and heads upstairs. I sip the drink. Minutes later, Gale is coming down the stairs, boots in hand. He smiles at me and I return it, a little easier than I did Hazelle's. With this smile comes some butterflies and I'm suddenly hopeful that this won't be as hard as I think it will be.

Gale quickly pulls on his boots and grabs his jacket and my hand and we head out the door. We don't say anything as we quickly make our way to the Meadow and sneak out the hole in the fence. We grab our bows and start walking. The walk is so peaceful that, for a moment, I forget that I need to tell him about last night. I am content with just walking with him and feel like I could do it forever.

"So, what's wrong?" His question doesn't catch me off guard, but it does ruin the mood I'm in and brings with it the worry from last night. "Bad dreams?"

"No." I say slowly, trying to form my thoughts into words, safe words. I've got to be careful. If I say too much, he'll know that I'm not really from Twelve and that will ruin whatever chance we have of convincing Snow that we are in love.

"Snow," Gale prods.

"He came to see me last night." I blurt. I know he wasn't talking about the president but was trying to get my attention with the nickname.

"What?" He asks, surprised at my answer. I take a breath and look at him.

"President Snow was in my house last night." He doesn't say anything as we climb the rocks to the place where we usually meet Katniss. She isn't here today because she has school. Usually, we would be meeting afterwards, but today is the Victory Tour and we will be on the train by noon. We sit and watch the sun rise. It's a few minutes before he finally says something.

"What did he want?"

"He said that no one believed our act with the berries." I answer. "He and some people in the districts don't believe that our stunt with the berries was an act of love." I don't say what they think it was and I know I don't need to. Gale gets the meaning. I want to tell him about who I really am so bad it hurts. But if I do that, he'll be in more danger. The less he knows, the better. That's how it's supposed to go, right? But what if just him being with me puts him in danger. If something happens, he could be captured to be used against me. Do I really want him to be ignorant of that?

"Have you told Haymitch yet?" Gale asks me. It's clear that he was saying something before, but doesn't seem to care that I didn't hear him, consumed by my own thoughts.

"I was planning to on the train, when we could get off. We have to convince Snow that we are in love during this trip, Gale. That's why I came to your first. You don't deserve to be kept in the dark." And yet I am keeping that I am rely a spy for Thirteen hidden from him. I'm just a walking contradiction.

"Then we don't act." He says and I look at him. He wraps an arm around my shoulders. "No more pretending. No more acting. We will be in love. I mean,"

I stop what he was going to say by pressing my lips to his. The giddiness I felt last night returns as he wraps both arms around me and returns the kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and break the kiss and bury my head in his shoulder. Coin warned me against this. I shouldn't be falling in love with someone while I'm on assignment. But I can't help it. I can't deny it either. In the past six months that I have been able to get to know Gale, I think I've fallen in love with him. Hopefully it can stay that way through the decisions we are going to have to make. I'm not going to blame him if he doesn't want anything to do with me once the rebellion happens. I'll have been lying to him for crying out loud. Even though I may love him, I can't tell him about Thirteen. Not yet. He's not in danger yet. Snow doesn't know about Thirteen and my true role in the scheme of things.

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

That kiss came out of nowhere and now it won't leave me alone. I mean yeah, I kissed her last night but I didn't think anything would come of it. She was just so worried about today and the berries coming back up. I know it stunned her last night. I was trying to give her something to think about other than this stupid tour. Though, when I left her last night, I didn't enter my house until I heard her door open and close and that took me getting back to my house. It surprised her. I guess that's a good thing. But her kiss this morning. Maybe she was just returning the one from last night. Or practicing. I mean, we have to be in love now. I can't help but think that we actually are in love and can't deny it anymore. We can't tell Haymitch anything until we are on the train. What is he going to think of our meeting up on the street like we planned to? We decided we would run to each other. But I think I'm not gonna do that. I think I'll be waiting outside her door and I'm going to surprise her.

I sigh. There is no denying it. I am in love with a girl I tried killing just six months ago.

"What's wrong, Gale?" Mom asks as she brings in the clothes Portia wants me to wear for the talent shoot. It's nothing really extravagant since I'm not going to be on camera that much, but the pants and shirt are really similar to the clothes I already wear that I don't mind it much. Not to mention that they are a deep green which Portia says brings out my gray eyes.

"It's nothing, Mom." I answer and smile. But she sees through it.

"Don't think you can fool me, young man." She says. "I've seen that look before, a long time ago." I chuckle. She is talking about Dad of course. "So, who's the lucky girl?"

"Someone I tried to kill." I say and she smiles knowingly, like she's known all along. What's the point in denying it anymore if my own mother can see through the act?

"About time." She mutters as I pull on my shoes. I just shake my head, much to the chargrin of my prep team. It's so fun to mess with them.

* * *

**Snowden's POV:**

Why the hell did I kiss him? I told myself that I wouldn't. I wasn't supposed to. What the hell is wrong with me? I mean, we're supposed to act like we are in love, we have to convince Snow that we are in love. But that isn't why I kissed him. I think I did it because I truly love him. What makes this complicated is my true role in the scheme of things, not to mention we both tried killing each other just six months ago. Has it really been six months?

"Snowden," Cinna's voice breaks me out of my thoughts and I look at him. My hair is in its high pony tail with long bangs framing my face. In his hands is a dark blue shirt and pants outfit. He thankfully had the sense not to line it with fur. He knows I hate that.

"Is it time for me to talk?" I ask and we walk downstairs. My drawings have been set up in frames and have been placed in groups throughout the room by scenes or focus. The pictures of Rue are the most prominently displayed. We will be stopping in District Eleven first. Maybe I will give Rue's family a picture of her, before she died. Effie hands me a stack of cards and I tuck them in my pocket and the filming starts. I go from set to set, explaining them as best I can and in the happiest voice I can manage. I can't help but notice I linger on the one of Gale and I hope my blush isn't being filmed. Though, knowing my luck, the cameras zeroed in on it. I move on. After I am done being in front of the camera, I am sound recorded reading the cards and then we are banished from the room and I sigh in relief.

It's only a moment reprieve and then I hear Effie shouting something about the outdoor shot. That's right, Gale and I are meeting out on the street and heading to the train together. Will our act be enough to convince Snow that we are in love? Cinna puts me in a fur coat and then tries to place earmuffs on me. I fight tooth and nail not to have them and eventually win. In the past three months of hunting, I've learned that hearing is the best tool a hunter can have. It doesn't help that I lost my hearing in the Arena. I pull on leather gloves and I step out into the snow fall. I look around for Gale, sure I would be able to see him in the snow. I don't and I'm beginning to fear that he doesn't want anything to do with me.

I scream as someone lifts me from behind as I step onto the street. It's Gale and he kisses me fully and deeply in front of the cameras looking through the front door. This wasn't what we had planned, but I think it worked better. He surprised me, something he's never been able to do before. No doubt he planned this and his camera crew saw him standing there. Cinna is grinning like a mad man again, seeing us. But I don't care. We break the kiss and he takes my gloved hand in his and we walk, hand in hand, to the station. From there, everything is a blur of activity until I find myself alone in my compartment, waiting to talk to Haymitch. It'll have to be when the train stops for fuel.

No sooner do I think that then the train starts to stop and I hurry to Haymitch's compartment. It takes several knocks to get him to open the door. His scowl tells me what I have to say had better be good but all I say is, "It's stuffy on this train." It's harmless but he gets the meaning and pushes past me down the hall to the door. We both ignore the attendant and walk towards the end of the train.

"What is it? Did you get a message from Coin?"

"Worse." I say. "I got a visit from Snow last night." Haymitch looks at me like I've lost it. I launch into the events from last night, starting from when Gale left me at my door and walking in to find Snow in my study. About how he confirmed the uprisings I was told were happening and that I had to quell the districts by convincing Snow that Gale and I are in love and not faking it. After I'm done, Haymitch looks at me for a hard moment. He was there when I walked out of my house this morning and how Gale and I greeted each other. It seemed to make sense to him now, though he probably thinks that it was fake. I'm not so sure it was.

"You can't fail then."

"I know I can't fail." I retort. "If I can't convince Snow, then I'll never get back to Thirteen and do what needs to be done. Right now, I just want to make it through this trip."

"You don't get it, Snowden. If you have to quell the uprisings in the districts, you'll be lying low for a while, possibly years. In six more months, they'll be back for the Games and the two of you are mentors now. They are going to keep tabs on you two and if the two of you play that you are in love, then you'll have to be that way." The brunt of what he's saying hits me like one of Boggs's punches. Even if I do decide to still participate in the rebellion, he's right. They'll have to be put on hold for now. Which means that I'll have to marry Gale. That's not such a bad thing, is it? I mean if we actually do love each other, then it won't be. But what if Gale is faking it in an attempt to save all our lives. I'm not even sure that I do love him. All I do know is that my future is set for me. I can't change it. "You could do a lot worse." He says to me as he leaves me at my door. I nod and enter and find Gale sitting there, a new carving in his hands. I smile and grab dry clothes from my drawer and go into the bathroom to change.

"Did you tell him?" Gale asks.

"Yeah." My voice shakes and I hate it. "He agrees that we are not in the best position."

"I figured that much. What else did he have to say?" I don't answer as I come out of my bathroom and look at him. I sit on the bed and look away, a blush rising to my cheeks. I feel him sit down next to me. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. "I figured that much to."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." He says and we just sit there until we both fall asleep, my head on his shoulder and his head on top of mine.

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**I'm not overdoing it on the love thing, am I? Like I'm not being too mushy? Thanks for reading and please review.**


	20. Another Train Ride

**And I have returned for another Hunger Games! Just kidding, I'm still working on the end of the last one. **

**Recap: Snowden and Gale have begun the victory tour and have realized they are in love with each other. This is a problem because Snowden is a spy for District Thirteen and has her own agenda to keep to but must also keep her cover.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Snowden's POV**

I stare at the blank paper in front of me. This should have been done months ago, but I could never think of what to say. And then there was the visit from Snow the other night. I look at my bed and the young man still lying there. I had woken first to find us in the same position we had fallen asleep in, except that we were laying down. I woke up because I had heard my bedroom door close and guessed someone had walked in on us and left just as quickly. It was either an attendant or Haymitch as Effie would have had a fit if she had seen us. It could have been Cinna as well. Either way, it was before dawn and I wasn't able to go back to sleep.

Looking at Gale, I am reminded that I am going to have to marry him to keep my cover. Coin doesn't know it yet. I won't be able to tell her until we get to the Capitol and I can get to the contact. All of this is unfair, and yet I can't help but blame myself. I am the one who couldn't bring myself to kill him. I wanted to save him for my own selfish reasons. But he couldn't kill me either. Was it because he is a man of his word? Or was it something else? I mean, we nearly killed ourselves to make Seneca honor his word. Maybe it started out that way and then we fell in love. I mean, he said he doesn't want to pretend for the cameras. And to be honest, I don't want to either.

I start writing and for a long time, the only sound is the sound of my pen. I start when I hear a knock on my door. I look up and see Gale still asleep, though he is starting to wake. I get to the door as the second round of knocks begin and I open it to find Effie there, two cups of coffee in her hand. She hands me one and then starts walking down the hall. I follow, glad that she didn't see Gale.

"What's going on?" I sip the coffee silently, wishing she had add at least some sugar. Ill add some when we get to the dining car.

"You need to get ready." She tells me. "We'll be arriving in Eleven about midday or so."

"I thought that this was just a travel day."

"Not for you." She says pointedly and I sigh. I get to be with my team all day. I absently touch my hair. The foot I lost has partially grown back, about six inches. It doesn't feel burnt anymore and that's because Cinna gave me a special shampoo to use to help it heal and grow again. I'm glad he did. I missed my long hair. I eat a little and try not to think about what I am going to say to Rue's family when the time comes. Technically, I have to say something about Cato and Clove if I so choose to. There is nothing I can really say about them. They were a means to an end, like Gale should have been. I know that Gale and I will not get a warm welcome from Two.

I don't pay attention to the gossip from my team, not that there's much to hear. They're in worse shape than I am and I can tell that they are not used to being up early. The most that I do hear is how much they wish they could do alterations on. That's a fight they would lose and also they would possibly lose their hands. Then I would need a new team and I doubt that Cinna would appreciate that. Oh well, what can I do? They're just silly things with heads filled with straw. There's not much that I, or anyone, can do to change that. Maybe if they were in control of their own lives and not living on the hard work of the districts, maybe that would change.

Before I know it, my hair is in a crown around my head in a fancy braid strung with gray ribbon. There was a little bit of glitter sprinkled over my head and so some of it is on my face, which makes it hard to eat when it comes time to for lunch. By this time, Haymitch has made an appearance and Gale is awake as well. Seeing him cheers me up a little bit. Then I remember that I forced him into a marriage with me and I don't even have the decency to tell him what I am really wrapped up in with Thirteen and what I was actually doing in Twelve on the day of the Reaping. This boy that I might actually love is in danger because I couldn't do my job and win the Games. And these next Games are the Quell, the Third Quarter Quell and we get to be mentors for it. I wonder how many we will have to mentor, if we will have to mentor at all.

The train begins to slow down as I nibble at a biscuit and for a moment, I worry that I have been found out. That everyone in this room are about to be killed because of me. As I am coming to terms with my outing as a spy, an attendant comes in and informs us that some part malfunctioned and that it will be an hour before we are moving again. This sends Effie into a panic and I look at Gale. Before he or Cinna can stop me, I stand up and walk out of the dining car. I go to my room and sit at my desk where I left my drawing. It had started out about what I was going to say about Rue, a single line. But it turned into a dragon guarding Rue and Gale. I was working on Gale when Effie came to get me this morning. I sit at my desk and pick up my pen and that's when I notice that the paper is gone. What the hell? I left it…Gale. He must have taken it this morning. But why? It's not like it was any sort of rebellion. But of course, he wouldn't understand that. I mean, there's nothing really wrong with a dragon guarding two people and that dragon being me. I sigh and walk over to the closet where Cinna had hidden my latest work. It's a picture of Gale that I've been enlarging. He is sitting in the trees, underneath the tracker jacker nest, asleep as the sun rises. I don't know what made me think of it considering the only time that I saw it was during the recap during the Crowing Ceremony. I guess it stuck with me. Maybe it was the first indication that I liked him.

The door opens after a while and Gale walks in. I cover the picture and turn over the smaller one. In his hand is the picture I was working on this morning. He hands it to me and I set it back down on my desk.

"Are you okay?" He asks and pulls me into a hug. We stay like that for a minute before I pull away.

"No." I answer truthfully. "I haven't been okay for six months. It's been worse the past few days because all of this reminds me of what I've had to do to get here. I don't think it's helping that Rue's home is our first stop." I look at the picture I started. Maybe it is rebellion, the wish that I had been able to protect that little girl. "Is Effie upset?"

"Only about the delay. Your exit she put to stress and left it at that. Haymitch seemed to think it was something else, but he wouldn't say. I decided to come to you and see if you were okay. I wanted to bring this back to you as well."

"When did you wake up?"

"After you left the room. I figured I had better make myself scarce before rumors start flying."

"Isn't that what we want?" I say bitterly and clench my hand in a fist. He takes my hand in his and leads me from my room and to the car where his carvings have been set up. I look at them in silence. He walks over to one of a dragon and hands it to me. I look at it and him. "What is this for?" He smiles but doesn't say anything as we walk back to my room and he places it on my desk, next to the picture.

"The dragon in both can be considered you." He says. "Your dragon is guarding me. I turned you into a wooden dragon. Don't you see? Rumors have already started. They have been going around since the end of our Games and the way we made them end." I smile a little bit.

"Emerald,"

"What?"

"My favorite color. It's emerald." He smiles.

"Mine is gray, like the color of your eyes." He kisses my head and sneezes because of the glitter. We laugh and he sits on the bed while I work on the picture of him. Soon, the train is slowing down and Effie comes in to tell us to get dressed. The team fixes my hair and glitter and then Cinna enters with a flowing gown, the color of my eyes and my lips move up into a smirk. Once I am ready, I meet Gale and Effie at the main door and she goes over what is to happen today. The public appearance is to be confined to the square which is fine with me. There's less of a chance of an assassination attempt. After the ceremony, we'll get a plaque and then attend a dinner with the mayor, their family, our mentor, Effie, and the stylists. Cinna adds a dragon pin to my hair and adjusts my necklace while Portia makes adjustments to Gale's deep gray outfit and the doors open. On the train platform are eight Peacekeepers. I have been found out.

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**Hey look, no page breaks! lol. Thanks for reading and please review**


	21. The Victory Tour

**I had to have that cliffhanger. Couldn't help it. Enjoy!**

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**Gale:**

The Peacekeepers are a surprise. I didn't realize we would be having an escort. One glance at Snowden tells me she thinks it's something else. In her eyes is the same look that she had when the train stopped to fix a part. She isn't convinced when I try to tell her that they are for our protection. I have to act like I'm trying to calm her down from being frightened, like any good boyfriend would do I guess. I wouldn't know, I've only been a big brother. Effie isn't pleased with the armored truck we get placed in. We are dropped off at the back of the Justice Building and are hurried inside to the front of the building. Microphones are clipped to our chests and I take Snowden's left hand.

The doors open as the mayor is introducing us and Effie nudges us forward. We are met by applause, but that's all. I see Thresh's two family members on my side of the stage and then I look over at Rue's. All of them are looking at Snowden. But it is hard to tell what they are thinking. The mayor gives his speech in our honor and Snowden and I are given flowers. Snowden receives her almost numbly. What is she thinking? I say my part of the scripted thank you, trying to think of anything I can say to the families.

* * *

**Snowden:**

The end of the script for me and Gale falls from my lips and I motion for the Peacekeepers to hand me a small framed picture. I wait to see if Gale will say anything. When he doesn't, I step forward and hand my bouquet of flowers to Gale to hang onto for me.

"I never knew Thresh and Rue very well, Thresh less so than Rue. And even though I only spoke to him once, I know that I can respect him for playing the Games on his own terms. I know he would…" the words catch in my throat. "I would like to hope that he was glad that it was me that took his life and not them. I took no joy in it. He will not be forgotten and he will always have my respect." Thresh's family looks at me and one of them smiles, the old woman. I turn to look at Rue's family. "I was lucky to have the chance to work with Rue. She was smart. She may have even won if I had been able to protect her. She will always be with me. Always." I take a breath and walk from the stage and to Rue's mother. The mic is still attached to my dress so everyone hears as I whisper. "I want you to have this. So she will always be with you." I turn the picture around so she can see it. It's one of Rue, perched in a tree, watching the rest of us fight. I place the picture in the woman's hands and she pulls me close. She thanks me, for trying to take care of her daughter, for avenging her later. I return the hug automatically. Peacekeepers pull us apart and guide me back to the stage. As I mount the stage, I freeze. Gale looks at me with concern, but I can't move as I suddenly hear Rue's whistle, the one that meant she was safe. No,

I turn to look in the crowd and find the whistler, an old man in a faded red shirt and overalls. As the tune ends, every person in the crowd, in unison, touches their right hand to their heart and then hold it out, palm up, fingers slightly bent inwards to form a cup. It's a gesture I share only with Boggs. It's our gesture of safe passage, safe journey. He taught it to me and I would use it whenever he would leave for a mission. When we went on missions together and had to split up, we would wish safe journey to each other. The last time I had seen him use it was in the Justice Building in District Twelve. I had used it in the arena when the dead tributes were shown. A gesture for each. Rue's and Thresh's had been done at the moment of their deaths. Five's had been after Rue's, when I had calmed down. Even Cato and Clove had been wished safe passage in the privacy of my hospital room. Only now, the gesture doesn't fill me with hope. It fills me with dread. This…this could be considered rebellion. The look in Gale's eyes tells me he is thinking the same thing.

I barely register that a plaque has been placed in my arms. I stop as, somehow, I hear a familiar sound. The sound of knees hitting stone. Why this sound is the only one I hear, I don't know. But what I see next, I will never un-see. I turn at the sound in time to see the old man, now at the top of the steps, get a bullet through his head.

Peacekeepers immediately block our view and shove us inside. Gale is saying something and leading me inside. Our team is standing under a blank screen, horror and anxiety on their faces. Haymitch looks at me and I know that he suspects what happened outside was not planned, or was it. I don't know what's going on in Thirteen anymore. Two more shots sound through the door as Gale is reassuring Effie. Haymitch wordlessly grabs mine and Gale's arms and leads us through the Justice Building to our rooms. We drop off our gifts and Haymitch yanks the mics from our chests and hides them under a couch cushion before waving us after him. The journey through the building stops in the dome of the Justice Building. Haymitch kicks the trap door closed and turns to me.

"What happened?" He asks. I launch into the details, keeping them slight. I mention the whistle, seeing the old man seconds before the gesture, the old man's murder. I want to yell that this wasn't supposed to happen. That this wasn't the plan. But I don't. Instead, I sit on the exposed stuffing and springs of a couch and cry. Gale pulls me up and holds me to him. He's a rock, but he can't be mine. Everything I have to do will just put him in danger. I need to tell him about Thirteen. I have to. But not now. When we get back to Twelve. Right now, we have to get through the tour.

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**Gale:**

I stand in the shower and try to think. Snow wants Snowden to quell the Districts, to quiet them before they rise up against him. I need to help her. But how can we do that? I mean, after today. Nothing we could have said would have stopped those people. It had been planned from the start. The gesture was too well coordinated to be by chance. All this runs through my mind as I let my team get me ready for the dinner. I'll have to tell her that nothing we do will calm the people. Though, I think she knows it. She seemed frustrated earlier, like nothing was going to plan. Like she was being kept out of the loop of something. This brings the question of who she really is. It's not something I had thought about in months. It hadn't really mattered before just because we won and were going home. I thought we would hardly have to see each other again. But now that we have to be in love, and I know I love her, I can't help but at least wondering about it.

I meet everyone outside the dining room and they start walking in, fifteen steps apart. Snowden looks stunning in her strapless emerald dress. I remember her telling me it was her favorite color. There just might be something that I can do to convince Snow and the Districts that we are in love. Unfortunately, for it to work, I'll have to keep it from her. That's the only way we can do it. We descend the steps, her arm wrapped in mine, and we are sucked into an endless round of ceremonies, dinners, and train rides.

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**Snowden:**

I wake up and just look at Gale. Since District Eleven, we've been sleeping in each other's beds. Some nights it'll be mine. Others it'll be his. We decided that we couldn't be alone. The nightmares had become too much, especially after Eleven and the old man. I told Gale what the gesture meant that night on the train and he seemed to like it. He didn't like the fact of what it had been turned into that day, but for us, it would always be a gesture of safe journey, just like for me and Boggs. Boggs, my adopted father. Funny, the more I call him my father, the more I believe it's true. Why can't it be? He is the only male role model I have ever had. He taught me everything I know. Coin didn't do that for me. I never knew a parent's love from her.

Cinna knocks on the door and I wake up Gale before I get up to answer it. Both stylists are there and a groggy Gale is sent with Portia while I am left with my team. Cinna explains that we are appearing in both Districts One and Two today since they are so close together. I only nod my acceptance, knowing that this will be another district we won't be able to quell with love if they are feeling rebellious. Though, I think I have more surety of nearly being killed because of what I did to their tributes. I mean, I destroyed their source of food and then the rest of their supplies. Then I killed Cato with my own hands.

Before I know it, we are on the platform in front of the Justice Building, listening to a speech in our honor. We give the scripted thank you and I am sure we are done with it. Again, my instincts get me into trouble. I hear the sound of a gun click. It's a Peacekeeper gun, but it's not from them. My eyes find the person, in the back of the crowd. He makes a rude gesture to me, raises the gun at Gale, and fires. I pull Gale down and the bullet buries itself the limestone behind us. In the next moment, I barely see the glint of a knife. I manage to catch it before it impales my heart. Gale and I sit crouched on the stage, me with a knife in my hand, a bullet hole in the wall. What the hell? The Peacekeepers are supposed to prevent this kind of thing from happening. The mic on my chest turns off and the mayor is speaking again. Gale stands and helps me up. Two people hand us our gifts and we go inside. There's another shot and I pull Gale close to me and another bullet hits the building. The Peacekeepers push us inside and we go, gratefully. Haymitch is the one who sees the knife in my hand and opens his mouth to start yelling at me for having a weapon out there. Cinna cuts him off, saying that I didn't have a weapon and he would know because my dress doesn't allow for that kind of concealment. Gale carefully takes the knife from my hand and I check him for any grazes. When I find none, I cry as the adrenaline leaves my system. Effie covers her mouth to suppress a sob at our tenderness. Gale holds me and leads me to our quarters, Cinna and Portia following behind. That night's dinner is cancelled due to the threat of another assassination attempt on our lives. Haymitch and Effie seem to finally agree on something when it is suggested we leave under escort in an armored truck. Victors had never been shot at before and she didn't know what to think of it. We had told them what happened once we were on the train.

Our appearance in District One is kept brief and is televised from inside the Justice Building with only the tributes' families present. The dinner is kept short and Gale and I don't eat anything we don't serve ourselves, not wanting to be poisoned. Then we are back on the train and heading for the Capitol. It's almost over.

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**A nice change I think? What do you think? Thanks for reading and please review**


	22. An Emerald Dragon

**Snowden:**

I ease myself out of bed and dress. Gale and Haymitch, actually no one, knows what I am about to do. We have been in the Capitol a couple of days now. Gale and I have been televised hearing speeches and receiving thanks from various citizens of the city. We are still trying to get the message out that what we did is not rebellion. That we are just two teenagers in love. I doubt it is working.

I pull a black sweater out of my closet and pull it on. I don't zip it up until I am in the stairwell of the Training Center. I hurry down the steps and out a side door I had found while snooping around earlier in the day. There are guards at the main entrances since there is still the threat of assassination when it comes to me and Gale. Of course, that isn't my concern right now. I can defend and take care of myself. Gale would be dead if I hadn't heard that damn gun in District Two.

I put up my hood and hurry down the streets, the address of the safe house imprinted on my mind. I had been repeating it to myself the entire tour. I have to get a message to Boggs and Coin. I have to tell them that I have to lay low for a while. There is nothing for it. I am too high profile for there to be a rebellion now. That and I need to get Gale used to the idea that I am a spy for the supposed dead District Thirteen. I love him too much to keep him in the dark like this. If I am going to do this rebellion, I am going to do it with the person I trust most, aside from Boggs, at my side. Oh Gale, what am I getting you into?

I find the house and knock lightly on the door in the code I was given should I ever need to come here while in the Capitol. The door is opened right away and I am pulled inside. A knife is put to my throat and I glare at the holder. It is a soldier I don't know. But then again, I never let myself get close to anyone until Gale came along. We stand there until the soldier is ordered to stand down and that I am an ally. I look towards the speaker. It's Boggs. I smirk, trying to hide my excitement at seeing him. I haven't seen him for six months. The last I heard from his was the letter he hid within the one from the council. The one telling me to keep my temper and that Gale is my responsibility.

"Agent Caltrit," he greets me.

"Hello, Commander Boggs." I answer. The knife is taken fully away from me and I follow Boggs into the back room. Once we are alone, he pulls me into a fatherly hug and holds me close. I return the hug and he's the first to let go. He holds me at arm's length and looks me over.

"You haven't starved, that's a good thing." He smiles, finally. I smile back.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. "I didn't get anything saying that you would be here as my contact."

"I'm not the contact. But Coin and I knew that you would be wanting to send a message and the fastest way would be to wait until you got here. I decided to come and intercept you. She's worried about the way you are handling the Districts. You aren't following orders. It looks like you are trying to quell them."

"I am." I answer. "There's too much heat right now. I was almost killed during the tour."

"That's not all of it. If this started in Two, then I would believe it was because of the assassination attempts. But it didn't. You have been doing this since Eleven." I bite my lip and turn away from him. That's right. I haven't gotten the chance to tell them about the president's visit. "Snowden?"

"The night before the tour started, Snow came to see me. He told me that I had to quell the Districts. He threatened Gale's family." I say, not facing him. "Too much heat."

"I've never known a dragon to be afraid of fire. I also know when this particular dragon is lying and holding something back. What is it? Is it Gale? You asked for him to be your back-up in case something happened to you. I convinced Coin of this decision. But there's something more between the two of you."

"I love him, Boggs." I say without thinking. "I can't leave him in the dark any longer. I have to tell him about me. About Thirteen."

"Are you crazy?" Boggs yells at me for the first time in my life. I turn to face him and take a step back, reaching for the knife in my back pocket. "You can't tell him. You said for him to be your replacement. The less he knows, the safer he'll be."

"How safe is he having to be in a relationship with me?" I yell back. "Is he really safe having helped me as he as. He has done more for me than anyone in Thirteen ever has…aside from you."

"If you do not tell him, he is safe. If it is ever revealed that you are a spy, the look of shock on his face will tell Snow that he had no idea about your involvement."

"And what am I supposed to do Boggs, while I wait for the order to strike?" I ask. "Sit and draw for the rest of my life? Not go out and have friends or lovers because they can be targets?"

"Yes." The curtness of the reply stops my next words. I should have known. They want me isolated and not among the people I am supposed to be fighting for. "If you really want to save Gale and his family and the people you live among, isolate yourself. And end this thing you have with Gale. That's an order, Agent Caltrit."

"Yes, Sir." I say stiffly and give him the gesture of safe passage. He returns it and I leave. It has started snowing since I've been to the house. Its calming fall does nothing to quell the hurt and anger.

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**Gale:**

I blow the sawdust away and look at the circle I have made. I've already found the perfect gem for it. I just need to glue it in place and then it will be ready. Tonight is the night that President Snow will actually congratulate us on our win and it is then that I will do it. I have to. That is going to be the only way that we can prove once and for all that we are in love. The thought of what I'm about to do fills me with hope and dread. I wonder if my father felt this way when he proposed to my mother. Right now, I know that Snowden is being prepped by her team. She wasn't in bed when I woke up this morning so I assume that she is with them. We have to convince the people tonight. But this isn't an act on my part and I hope it won't be on Snowden's.

I place a dab of glue in the indention and wedge the emerald beneath the prongs I've made to hold it in place. I can't believe I've been able to get it done in time and without her knowing. I was lucky enough to be able to measure her ring finger while she slept deeply one night. She woke up with a nightmare right after, nearly breaking my nose. I smile at the memory as I finish the little details. The ring is in the shape of a curled dragon with the emerald in its claws. She'll love it. I hope. A knock at my door has me standing and putting the ring in its box and setting it on my dresser. I need to remember to take it with me.

Before I can open the door, my prep team hops in and I am at their mercy. I would hate them if it wasn't for the fact that Portia trusts them and that they're complete idiots. They have no clue what is really going on. They probably wouldn't even care if they did know. They are happy with their lives now. I listen as they talk about the party tonight in the president's mansion. I don't like the idea of going there, but we have to. We have to keep up appearances as the Victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games.

Before I know it, I am ready in a three piece suit with a deep red tie. The ring is in a hidden pocket on the inside of the jacket piece. My legs are shaking as I stand in the elevator with Haymitch. When I see Snowden, I almost fall over. She is in a stunning deep red dress that hugs her body to where I can see every curve. It is held up on one shoulder by a braided rope of gold that extends down to her waist. Her hair is curled and wraps around her bare shoulder and hangs off to the side. I take her arm in mine and we follow Haymitch out onto the stage. I can hear her high heel shoes on the tile and they seem to match the rhythm of my racing heart.

Snowden effortlessly glides us through the questions Caesar Flickerman bombards us with and I wait for the right moment. I can see everyone staring at us as we sit with the host of the Hunger Games, very aware of the ring in my breast pocket. Finally, Caesar asks what plans we have for the future. I get down onto my knee and hold Snowden's hand. I look into her eyes and see a hint of fear and nervousness, as if she knows what I am about to ask.

"Snow," I say and the crowd awes at the nickname. She blushes. "In the past six months, I have gotten to know the better half of you. The half that enjoys life. I know it took some growing to come to just like looking at you during the Games." The crowd laughs. "When we were forced to work together, I learned things about you I know you never would have given up willingly. You learned some of the same things about me. This time we have been able to spend together has only told me one thing. I love you, Snowden Caltrit. I know it is has only been six months and that we once tried to kill each other. We didn't and I hope that is a sign of how we are together, as a team." I pull the ring box from my pocket and open it, letting the emerald catch the light. "Snowden Caltrit, I would be honored if you were to make me the happiest man in the world. Snowden, will you marry me?" I look at Snowden and see again the fear and nerves. But there is something else that seems like it may be joy.

**Snowden:**

What am I going to do? This runs through my mind as Gale sits on one knee in front of me, a wooden ring in his hand. The ring is in the shape of a dragon with an emerald in his hand. He has turned me into a dragon once again. I've been nervous about this for weeks. I know he measured something on me during the tour, but I didn't dare ask him about it. And then he's been secretive about his new project. He wouldn't even tell Haymitch because Haymitch would have told me or I would have forced it out of him. What Boggs told me this morning races through my mind. He and Coin ordered me to end it with him. They want me to isolate myself so I can lead the rebellion. Hell with that! I know what needs to be done. I have to win the people over so they trust me when things begin to happen. And if marrying Gale achieves that end, well, two birds with one stone as Boggs says.

A smile effortlessly graces my face and I see relief in Gale's eyes.

"Yes," I whisper. "Yes, a thousand times yes." I say louder for the crowd to hear." Gale is on his feet, pulling me to mine and kissing me. He are laughing and smiling as he places the ring on my finger. Caesar is beside himself with emotions, so are the crowds in the Districts. I wonder how much of that is just for show. Haymitch is there, congratulating us. And then so is Snow. His words, his promise, comes to mind. But I push it away as I hold onto Gale. I feel eyes on me and I look at the crowd from the corner of my eye. Boggs is there near the stage, glaring with one eye, smiling with the other. He wants to be mad, but he can't be. Coin will be pissed that I didn't follow orders. He gives me the gesture of safe journey and disappears into the crowd while Gale and I follow the president into his mansion for the party.

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**Surprised? Or did you expect that? Thanks for reading and please review.**


	23. Her War Begins

**Things are going to start picking up a bit more now, I hope. Can't make any promises until I actually write. Enjoy!**

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**Snowden:**

Gale and I sit together, hand in hand, and watch the sun rise. We are at our normal spot where we usually meet Katniss. We're actually waiting for Katniss so we can check the snares. Something isn't right in the District. Something has changed. I can't place it, but something has. It's the only thing that has kept me from saying anything to Gale about Thirteen. It seems that no matter how much I want to tell him, something happens that I can't. This would be the perfect time to. I sigh and just lean against him, my head on his shoulder. My gloves are covering my ring, but I can feel it and for some reason, it gives me the strength to tell him.

"Would you run away with me?" Gale says suddenly.

"Why would we have to run?" I ask, trying to play innocent. But I know why. We both know that we didn't convince Snow during the tour. He didn't believe us, even when we saved each other from assassination during the tour. This is so unfair. "Where would we go?" I ask when he doesn't answer me. I feel him shrug.

"You and I are skilled enough hunters. We can provide for ourselves."

"What about your family?" I ask, thinking about the houseful of people back in Twelve. I moved in with Gale and his family after the tour ended and the cameras left. My house is still there for me, if I ever need it and sometimes I go back, to draw without the distraction of the kids and Hazelle. If something were to happen to Gale after we get married, officially, they could stay with me in my house in the village. It is nice to be able to hear noise when I wake up instead of silence, with only my thoughts to occupy my mind.

"Our family," he corrects and I laugh. He had told me about a toasting ceremony, sort of like a house warming. We invited Katniss and her family and of course Gale's family was there and we were married in that fashion. But Snow wants to put on our wedding in the Capitol and in Capitol style. It's odd, being married. I haven't even told Boggs yet. And he won't know for a while yet since I left him the letter in the place I usually leave the meat I catch.

"Our family," I amend. "If we run, who is going to take care of them?"

"They will have to come with us." He says.

"And Katniss? Everyone thinks that she is your cousin now because of what the reporters said about her since we are now married and were in love before that."

"We'll have to bring them to. I couldn't leave her behind." He answers. I don't say that I wouldn't be able to either. Before meeting her, before falling in love with Gale, I would have left them all. Even Haymitch. If it came to my life or theirs, I would have chosen my life. Now, I would give my life for them, no questions asked. It's the simplest way I can explain to myself why I haven't told anyone about Thirteen yet. It's why I refuse to tell them about the uprising in Eight. I saw it come onto the mayor's television during the feast when we got back. A few days later, I got a letter from Boggs giving me all the gory details. District Eight was a district we couldn't quell. I don't think I ever had the ability to change their minds and quell them during the tour. Too much had been happening for me to. And, deep down, I don't think I tried hard enough. All of this I should tell Gale. I need to tell Gale. He needs to know what he is in for now that he is my husband. And he needs to hear it from me.

"Gale," I whisper.

"Hm?"

"Hello!" Katniss's voice echoes over to us and I sigh. I can't tell him now. Not in front of Katniss. I love her dearly as a friend, and maybe too much to tell her this great secret.

"We can't forget Haymitch." I whisper and he chuckles and I sit up straight as Katniss comes into view, a wild turkey on her hip. "Nice catch." I say, thinking of the money she will get for it.

"Thanks. Stupid thing wandered right into my path." She hands me the turkey to look at. It's wild, that's for sure. But something isn't right about it either. Maybe I am just being paranoid. I hand it back to her and she sits down. "It was hard getting under the fence. There seemed to be more Peacekeepers patrolling the fence." Gale and I nod, confirming it. I had noticed them and had to pull Gale back into the shadows when we made to leave. It's not something that I find comforting, especially after Snow's visit. Gale and I promised each other that we wouldn't tell Katniss about that. She doesn't need to worry about it. I have a feeling that Snow increased security after his little visit. "It's weird, knowing the two of you are married now." She says and I laugh. It's just as strange to me. I never thought I would be married, not with being a spy. Marriage was never something I considered since I lived my life day to day is not hour to hour in some situations. Gale and I did agree not to have children. There is no chance that they would be spared from the Games and neither of us want to have to teach our children to have to survive in that place.

The three of us chat for a while and then we are walking and checking the snares. There is nothing and I am glad. With all of this uneasiness I'm feeling, I doubt I would have gone to the Hob today. We take a break near a stream and eat our lunch, knowing we would have to be heading back soon. I look at Katniss. She has a lot of slips in that bowl. Even if this year's Reaping isn't rigged, it is the Quell and those are always hell and she has almost a sure chance of going in.

"Stand up." I say to Katniss, as I stand up. She and Gale look at me.

"What's the matter?" Gale asks. I don't look at him.

"Get up, Katniss." I say.

"Snow, what is wrong?" Gales asks again as Katniss stands, seeing the hard look in my eye.

"This next Hunger Games is the Quell." I say. "If Katniss goes in, she is going to need more than her bow to save her. The Gamemakers are twisted. I will not lose someone I care for to carelessness." I swing at Katniss. She ducks and backs away. I advance. "Do not be afraid to fight, Katniss Everdeen." I swing at her and connect with her shoulder as she tries to get away from me again. I don't let up and after several more hits, she begins to fight back. I smile and keep moving, yelling at her to keep moving and to hit harder. By the time we are done, we are both breathing heavily and bruised, her more than me. Gale is laughing at the two of us. He knows that I let her get some hits on me. I told him, after our Games ended, that I went against the biggest assistant in the hand-to-hand combat and won and that's what got me my score. I recounted all the details, including the knife throwing at the Gamemakers.

Gale calls it a day and the three of us head back to the fence. We wait as a Peacekeeper goes by and then we quickly get through. We hide in the shadows as Katniss stuffs the bird into her game bag. She says she's going to sell it to Cray, our Head Peacekeeper. I decide to go with her and Gale heads home. Katniss and I make small talk about the upcoming Quell, wondering what it could possibly be and what dangers would be in the arena. She tells me that she knows plants and which ones are good for healing and whatnot. I smile. There isn't much that Gale and I would have to teach her in order for her to survive.

We near Cray's house and I pull Katniss against a nearby wall and make sure we are in the shadows. I cover her mouth to keep her quiet and peek around the corner again. He's not looking at me, but I know him. The cruel mouth and shaved gray hair and long nose gives him away. Romulus Thread. He is Snow's right hand in the Capitol. What the hell is he doing here? And where is Cray? Thread walks into the house and I pull back into the shadows. Thread is cruel and loves the rule book. I should know, I had to spend several months working in his house in the Capitol to gather information on him alone. I turn Katniss around and force her back up the street. We hear the crack of the whip as we hurry along. Katniss tries to turn back.

"What was that?"

"A new head." I say and force her up the street. The whip cracks again. "And that is a punishment."

"Shouldn't we go and see."

"I will go." I tell her, forcing her along the street into the Seam and to her house. "You will only get into trouble."

"How?" She fights me off and turns to face me. I snatch her game bag and just look at her. It takes a few minutes, but she understands. I give her back the bag.

"Get home. You and your family eat the bird tonight. Don't save anything. And hide the bones. Do you understand me?" She nods and disappears. I head back to the square. The snow is beginning to fall again and I can't help but think that it's becoming a sign of bad omens. I used to love the snow, but lately, it has never brought anything good for me.

I make it to the square and watch as a man is whipped, there is a dead turkey at his feet and Thread behind him with the whip. I see a miner and ask what the crime is, worry evident. The man tells me poaching. I don't nod. The turkey Katniss had. The turkey at the man's feet. They are the same. A trap for those of us brave enough to get through the fence. The man's back is covered in red marks. There is no one to heal them. No. There is. I back up from the crowd and when I'm clear, I run back to the Seam just as I hear Purnia's voice intervene on the man's behalf. She has an official tone, but I know what that means and I need to get to Katniss and her mother now. My true assignment begins now.

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**Hehehe, hope you like the change here. Our heroine will have probably several meetings with Thread. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	24. Snow

**The aftermath of Thread showing up.**

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**Snowden's POV:**

I walk into my house and barely catch myself from slamming the door closed. I couldn't stand to be in the same house as Gale after I told him about Thread. He wanted to go to Katniss's and make sure they were okay. Hazelle and I barely managed to stop him, reminding him that her mother was caring for the wounded miner. He set to brooding and I couldn't stand it so I left. I sigh and sit down at my kitchen table. Frustrated tears leak from my eyes and I let them. There is no one here to see them. Hell, I can't even find it in myself to care if someone was around. This is my fault. I lost sight of the goal. I lost sight of what I was doing. Coin was right. I should have ended it with Gale when I had the chance. I doubt I could have if I wanted to. I love Gale too much to leave him on his own during this and I don't think I would have been able to say no to his proposal in the Capitol.

"There's no point in crying about this, Sweetheart." Haymitch's voice says from the darkness by the backdoor. I don't look at him and I don't answer either. What's the point? "I heard about what happened in the square today. That's not the first turkey I've seen either. Thread has set a trap for those brave enough to go through the fence. Soon enough, the fence will have power on again."

"That's when everyone is going to starve." I say. "There's going to be no way to keep Prim and Rory from signing up for tesserae. And this year is the Quell." There is no answer as a fire flares to life in my fireplace. There is a hard look on Haymitch's face. He doesn't have to say it. The year he won was the Quell, and he almost died, his guts spilled into his hands. Coin had me watch the video so I would know who I was dealing with. He sits at the table and I see the bottle in his hand. I hope he knows to savor that because Thread will be going after the Hob next and he won't be able to get his liquor. Thankfully, Gale and I have stashed some, but it won't last long. Especially if I feel like I need a drink to calm myself. As if reading my mind, Haymitch passes me the bottle and I get up and grab my sketch book and start trying to calm myself. If I get drunk now, I don't want to think about it. It's only going to get worse from here on out. I need to get back to Thirteen. And, I need to tell Gale.

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**Gale's POV:**

"What are we going to do, Gale?" Snowden asks me as we walk through the snowed in streets. We haven't talked since the day she saved Katniss from certain death. Somehow, she recognized the signs of a new Head Peacekeeper and managed to keep Katniss from selling the wild turkey to him. Katniss told me about it when she was visiting the night before the blizzard. That was two days ago.

"We do what we have to in order to survive." I say, thinking of Rory. We have money now, but with the shortages that are sure to start, there's nothing I can do to stop him from taking out tesserae. I know Katniss will be taking out more to. And maybe even Prim. Silently, we start walking through the Seam to check on Katniss. Snowden warned her not to go back into the woods which is a good thing as I've noticed Peacekeepers patrolling the fences. Snowden stops suddenly, looking up and towards the Hob. There's black smoke rising from it. Immediately, both of us run towards it, catching up with Katniss and we all stop and look at it. Even in the snow, the coal is keeping it burning. I hope no one was inside it. I haven't been back since Snowden told me about Thread. Katniss's mother was grateful to Snowden for keeping her daughter from selling that bird. As far as I know, it only lasted them that night and that was the last fresh food any one has had since.

Someone from inside the Hob screams and Snowden jumps into action. Before I can think of stopping her, she has run into the burning building to save a person she barely knows. Katniss and I only stare in shock and wonder and are so stunned by Snowden's actions that we don't even see the Peacekeepers arrive until Snowden emerges, slightly burnt and covered in ash and coal dust, and they immediately grab her and the old woman she saved. The old woman is Greasy Sae. She must have been here hoping to sell to whoever was brave enough to come to the Hob today.

"Let go of me!" Snowden yells as they try dragging them down the street. "I said let go." She throws the Peacekeepers off and it's almost as if she's back in the arena, fighting for her life. After a few minutes, a gun fires and the fighting stops. Katniss and I back into the shadows as Thread walks forward, gun on Snowden and Sae.

"Resisting arrest." He says with a grin and signals to the Peacekeepers, none of whom I know.

"I was saving this old woman. She was walking by the side and something fell on her. I was walking by and heard her calling for help. Are you going to punish me for saving a life?" Snowden demands, standing straight with Peacekeepers on either side of her. This is a different Snowden than I saw in the arena. This is someone who has seen more than a woman her age should have seen.

"This woman shouldn't have been here in the first place."

"And why not? This is her home. She may have been walking to see a friend." Sae nods vigorously and Thread sneers. I watch Thread. I can tell he wants to hit Snowden. Punish her even. But he doesn't and I can't pinpoint why. The only reason I can come up with is that he is under orders not to. But why? I come out of my thoughts as Snowden leads Sae over to where we are and the Peacekeepers leave. "You should get home." Snowden says to Sae. She sounds as if she was expecting something like this to happen. She sounds sorry that it did. I mean, we failed in convincing Snow that we are actually in love and can't deny it anymore.

"Thank you, Snowden. I think I will. I had hoped that maybe someone would be brave enough to come and see me today. I guess it was too much to hope for." Greasy Sae ambles away. Away from the Hob. Away from us.

"Come on, Katniss. We shouldn't be here anymore either." Snowden says and firmly guides Katniss away from the Hob. Now that she can't go into the woods, it was the last place she was able to share the memory of her father. Now that's gone to. I follow them silently.

We leave Katniss with her mother and Prim and the wounded man. Katniss isn't happy about it, but she knows it is the safest thing for her. Snowden and I walk home. She doesn't say anything and I don't press her. I pull her close to me instead and she leans her head on my shoulder as we walk. We get knowing looks from men cleaning the streets. She wraps her arm around my waist. I wish I could read her mind. This is the first time we have spent time together since the blizzard. I got into a brooding mood that night and she left. Mom said she went to her house and then the blizzard set in and so I wasn't able to walk there. I tried calling, but she never answered. I can only guess as to why.

We get to her house and we go inside. Neither one of us want to be around anyone right now. We sit in her kitchen and I notice her sketch book on the table and an empty liquor bottle. So Haymitch has been here. That's no surprise. He seems to be really involved in Snowden's life ever since the Games. I flip open the sketch book while she starts fixing a meat stew for the two of us to eat. The drawings are familiar scenes. The Arena and all the horrors she saw there. The only difference this time, there is snow on the ground and falling. The drawings are in pencil, but it's hard to mistake the distinctive blood patterns on the snow. If she ever paints these…

"What's with the snow in these?" I ask as she throws another log onto the fire. "It's not as happy as it should be."

"The snow isn't happy for me anymore." She answers.

"It snowed the day before we got engaged."

"It snowed the day Thread arrived. The blizzard brought with it instruments of torture and new Peacekeepers. Next, people are going to die. They are going to freeze to death and die of their wounds inflicted by Thread. The snow has brought nothing good." She takes the book from me and puts it on the counter. I pull her into my lap and she twists her ring on her finger. "The snow doesn't bring anything good."

"That's not true." I whisper in her ear and kiss her neck. "You were born in the winter months. The snow brought me you." She tenses and I ignore it. There is something she wants to tell me, but I know her well enough to know that I have to wait until she is ready to tell me. And now, I know she is nowhere near ready. I pick her up and carry her upstairs to her bedroom. She is wrong. The snow does bring good with it, we just have to get through the blizzards and ice first.

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**Decided to do a sweet moment between Snowden and Gale. Might do a brief scene with Thread in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	25. Troubles of the Past

**Review Responses; melliemoo: I'm glad that you liked the sweet moments. I've noticed I don't do many of those in my fics and I'm not sure if they work well when I do. ;ColeMikeFuser: read more for your answer.; Elves are Awesome: I see where you are coming from, but Katniss was friendly with the Peacekeepers in the book and I kind of wanted to keep that at least until the Hob burned and the new Peacekeepers came in. Thank you all for your reviews.**** Enjoy!**

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**Snowden's POV:**

The morning dawns bright and early and the sun shines onto my face, naturally. It wakes me up which is unusual. I never wake up as the sun is rising, if I sleep at all. Since the Games, I have been having nightmares that have kept me up in the night. For the past few days, I have been waking in the middle of the night with dreams of Gale, Katniss, and Haymitch all being whipped mercilessly by Thread. Their blood stains the snow at my feet as I am being held by Peacekeepers. Some nights, I am the one holding the whip and Gale's flayed back is in my line of sight. That is usually the dream that I cannot recover from when I wake up from it. I need some way to alert Coin to Thread's presence here. I am not sure what he is doing here and I hope to hell that he doesn't remember me. I tried my best to stay out of his line of sight, but I thought I saw a hint of recognition in his eyes when he attempted to arrest me and Greasy Sae. And I know he wanted to beat me for my disobedience. But he didn't. Why?

A soft knock on our bedroom door wakes Gale and I get up to answer it, pulling a long shirt over myself before wrapping myself in a robe. Hazelle is standing outside the door, a cup of coffee in her hands which she places in my hands and leads me downstairs. Waiting for me in the living room are several crates from the Capitol. I look at Hazelle who must have seen them from Gale's house. I haven't wanted to be around people since the whipping and barely saving Sae from the fire. Gale has stayed with me, periodically checking in on Hazelle and the kids.

I walk over to one of the crates and find a letter from Effie, explaining what is in the crates. I know what is in the crates. The wedding dresses. In a few days is the wedding shoot. I never should have been selected for this mission. I've invested too much of myself to succeed. What made Coin think that I could do this? I am still young. Did she honestly think I wouldn't potentially fall in love? And Boggs, what is he thinking? He knows I accepted Gale's proposal. He knows that I have been trying to keep them in the loop as much as possible. But everything is happening so fast. I drink my coffee in silence and stand looking at the crates. Those crates are my future, unless I take Gale and his family and Katniss and her family and Haymitch and we run to Thirteen and Coin. But that would mean trouble for the District. If it gets out that I am a spy for Thirteen and the rebels, they will destroy the District just like they attempted to do with Thirteen. If we run, the people here die. They don't deserve that. I can't let them be the price for this war.

Hazelle and I shove the crates against the wall as Gale finally makes an appearance and he questions the crates. Hazelle smiles and says he cannot see them yet or risk bringing bad luck upon us as a couple. For some reason, this cheers me up, a little. I go back upstairs and get dressed. By the time I get back down, Gale and Hazelle are gone. I disappear into my study and sit in the chair and sigh as my troubles come back to me. I need to tell Boggs what is going on. I have to tell him about Thread. But my mail is likely to be monitored now. I can't send a letter to the safe house. Maybe I can slip one away with Cinna when he comes for the shoot. Cinna. I can send the letter to him. There would be nothing suspicious about sending a letter to my stylist, trying to get him to tell me about the procedures for the shoot. I pull out a piece of paper and start writing. Cinna will know what to do.

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**Thread's POV:**

The Head Peacekeeper paced the floor, listening to the television and the news of revolts in Districts Four, Three, and Eight. But his mind wasn't on the revolts. The Peacekeepers there would be able to handle the dissenters. He was more worried about Snowden Caltrit. She had gotten in the way of the Black Market destruction. He doubted that she was telling the truth about the old woman. His source was positive that the Hob, as it used to be called, was a black market of sorts and that many of the poachers sold their goods there to try to scrounge up extra money for their families or trade for necessities. He had put an effective stop to that by burning the place.

Thread's mind went back to the female victor. She could have killed her fellow tribute. If she had, he wouldn't be in District Twelve now and keeping down trouble makers, like her. The president's orders concerning her disturbed Thread. President Snow had ordered she not be harmed in anyway. Any retaliation was to be passed onto the people around her, make them suffer for her deeds. It was cruel, but the president wasn't known to be kind to his enemies. The president also wasn't known for singling one person out for safety. If Thread were to have his way, he would have grabbed her in the night and tortured her for information and to find out who she really was. The records he had been able to find gave no evidence of a family by the name of Caltrit. Not to mention that she looked familiar.

To him, she resembled an attendant he had in his employ some years ago. That was impossible. She had died in an accident two years after her first day of work. Still, her snow gray eyes reminded him of her and if he thought about it, the president. Snowden was a mystery to him. He would have to ask the people about her. If he was right and she was the same woman, she would have much to answer for. But first, he would have to make sure she couldn't go anywhere.

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**Snowden's POV:**

I sigh and look at the fence. I should be getting medicine for the kids. Posy caught the measles despite our houses being warm and should be safe from those sorts of things. Maybe it came with the rats on Parcel Day. The food Gale and I had won was rotten and infested with rats. Some people are eating the rats they can catch. It's better food than they've had in a while. No one dares go out into the woods anymore. I've warned Katniss away from them and Gale and I haven't bothered to go back in. We are both restless and that crate of wedding dresses in my living room hasn't done anything to improve my mood. If there was a chance that I could get this District to rebel, I would. Haymitch would be with me and then I could tell Gale what I am really into and get him to help me. I know he would.

I move towards the fence. I have two choices. I can stay here with Thread and his torture devices and a future dictated by the Capitol. Or I can leave now, get back to Thirteen and start planning an attack. It would start here in Twelve. Coal is needed in most of the other districts for their production. If the miners stop working, then the rest of the Districts stop. And then, all of Panem falls into rebellion. If I leave, I have to leave Gale behind. If I choose to take him, I have to take everyone with me. I don't know if I can get that many people to Thirteen. I have to go alone. I can't leave Gale a note. But I also can't stay here and create a life with Gale when that life wouldn't be real. I want a life with Gale that we create together, not one created by the Capitol. I have to go. I'm sure Gale can go to Katniss and get some medicine for Posy.

I walk up to the fence and reach for it. My fingers are inches away when my hair stands on end and I pull back. The pounding in my heart quiets just enough for me to hear the hum of electricity. The fence is alive with electricity and I am trapped. This is Thread's work. Thread and Snow's. They suspect that I am a rebel and they've locked me in the one place where I can do nothing against them. They have left me only one choice. I have to go along with them and what they want. But it won't be for long.

I turn and head home as the sun starts setting, stopping quickly to get the medicine for Posy. I hurry home as fast as I can. If the electricity is on, there is sure to be someone waiting for me when I get back. I've been gone all day. If they know about the poaching, they know that I would have tried getting out of the fence in an attempt to be somewhat free. In all actuality, I've been talking with Haymitch. He agrees that we are not in a good position but he is going to try to get word to Boggs for me. I just have to hold on until then. As I hurry home, the snow starts to fall and my stomach knots.

I turn the corner into Victor's Village and see the lights on in Gale's house. My house is dark, but that doesn't mean anything and it means everything. I walk up to Gale's house and walk in. Everyone is gathered in the kitchen. Everyone except Posy who is on bed rest. Gale gets up from the table and walks over to me and takes me in his arms and kisses me. I can feel the message he's conveying. He thinks I've been in the woods as well. We break the kiss and I see Haymitch eating some stew and playing, or attempting to play, with Rory some game he learned in school. Hazelle is by the stove, serving a bowl of stew for Posy. In the middle of it all are three Peacekeepers, two men and a woman.

"Hello," I greet as calmly as I can. I am anything but calm now as my mind begins to come up with possible reasons why there are three Peacekeepers in my husband's kitchen.

"Head Peacekeeper Thread sent us with a message for you." The woman says.

"They've been waiting a long time." Gale says as he steers me to the table and places me in front of a bowl of stew.

"Where have you been, Miss Caltrit?" The woman interrupts.

"Walking." I answer. "And I had to get this for my future sister-in-law." I pull the medicine from my pocket and hand it to Hazelle. "Mrs. Everdeen said three times a day and the measles should be gone. If not, she said she could get us some more." Hazelle smiles a tight smile, grabs the bowl of food and disappears upstairs. Rory follows her, eager to be out of the presence of the Peacekeepers in the vicinity.

"It took you hours just to get medicine." Haymitch picks at me and I glare.

"Maybe I am a little nervous and I needed to clear my head. The wedding dresses came in a few days ago and I got giddy. So I took a walk. Not like I'm getting cold feet though." I say and look at Gale lovingly, trying to forget about the Peacekeepers in the room.

"Sure you're not getting cold feet." Haymitch laughs. I turn red. So, he knows that I wanted to run and now he knows that I can't. I couldn't have planned it better, not without fear of the house being bugged.

I pretend like a suddenly remember the Peacekeepers and look at them. "You mentioned a message for me."

"More like an invitation." The woman says and I feel my heart stop. Gale steps closer to me and I try to pick up my spoon.

"Oh?" I say and try not to let my fear show.

"Yes, we are to escort you to his house so you may dine with him this evening and in the morning." Kill me more likely. That means he suspects that I am the same woman who was supposed to have died in an accident. According to reports, I fell down an open sewer that some Avoxs were working on.

"I'm not dressed for such an occasion." I try. I have to get out of this.

"That is quite alright. He would just like to show kindness to a hero." My heart stops and my stomach plummets to the floor. I am as good as dead.

"Don't keep her out too late." Haymitch says as I shakily get to my feet. "She has her wedding shoot tomorrow and she needs to be ready early." The woman nods and I am ushered out of the house by the two men into a squad of Peacekeepers I hadn't seen when I walked up. They must have been in my house waiting to ambush me there. I have to force myself not to look back and see Gale standing at the open door, watching as we disappear into the falling snow.

* * *

**Another Thread and Snowden encounter next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	26. Troubles of the Present

**Gale's POV:**

I watch as the snow falls, taking Snowden from me in the form of a squad of Peacekeepers. What could Thread possibly want with her? Something is wrong. She sensed it. Whatever she had been trying to tell me, it got her into this trouble. Can I get her out? Honor a hero. That has to refer to when she saved Greasy Sae. That bastard. I have to save her. The only problem is that my bow is in the woods that is now guarded from us by electricity. Oh well, I'll kill the man with my own hands. He's a threat to Snowden and the family that we plan to have together.

A door slams. It is mine, slamming behind me. At least that is what I think until I walk into a window. I look around, my head clearing. The room I am in is dark. Where am I? I am forced into a chair and then I hear someone starting a fire. As it blazes to life, I see that it is Haymitch. He grabs one of his last bottles of liquor and pours me a glass and hands it to me. I don't touch it. Snowden would be pissed if I did. Snowden!

I stand up and walk to the door. Haymitch grabs me and forces me back into the chair and forces the glass into my hand.

"Drink." He grunts as he sits down next to me. I don't listen and put the glass down on the table next to me. Haymitch watches me.

"We can't let her go to him. He'll kill her." I say.

"He won't do that. He would have to explain the sudden disappearance of the female victor of District Twelve. He won't kill her. But if he suspects that she is not from here…it still doesn't make any sense. Why would he invite her alone? And what did he mean by honor a hero?" He looks at me as he asks this last question.

"We were walking to visit Katniss when we saw the smoke. The Hob was on fire. We heard someone inside and Snowden jumped in to save them. Snowden talked them out of an arrest. At least I thought she had." I answer and drink the liquor and enjoy the burning as it goes down my throat. I need to get to Snowden. That's all there is for it. I have to save her from Thread. I look at my mentor. He got us through the Games. I can't help but wonder who he would have chosen if he had been forced to make a choice. I would like to think it was me. But Snowden has more fight in her. She is hiding something that she feels like she can't tell me yet. She's tried. That much is obvious. What is she into that she can't tell me anything? "What are we going to do, Haymitch?"

"_We _are not going to do anything. _I _am going to make a call. I need to push back the shoot. _You _are going to go and be with your family. They are going to need you and you are going to need them. I will keep an eye for Snowden. If they are telling the truth, she should be back by the morning, late afternoon at the latest." He looks like he is about to say more, but he doesn't. I scowl and finish my drink. I have half a mind to take the rest of his bottle and hide in Snowden's house. But he is right. Posy especially is going to need me. She formed a strong bond with Snowden over the past nine months. I wish it didn't have to be like this at all. I wish that Snowden wasn't the target of Snow's wrath. But she is. She started yelling at the Gamemakers first. She is the one who pulled out the berries. She is the one Snow went to when the Districts needed to be quelled. To them, she is the trouble maker, the one that has a lesson to learn. If we are not careful, we can lose her. The people here will believe that she couldn't take the nightmares and that she killed herself. The only ones who wouldn't would be me and Haymitch. I wouldn't be able to tell Katniss for fear that she would be pulled into something that she can't handle.

"Go home." Haymitch says. "And be glad they didn't take you as well." He mumbles as he stands, grabs the bottle, and walks away. I sit in his kitchen for a moment longer before getting up and walking back to my house. Mom is waiting for me when I walk into the kitchen. I look at the table, where an untouched bowl of stew sits, a discarded spoon next to it. Snowden dropped the spoon when the invitation was announced. I turn around and walk right back out of the house. I can't stay here.

* * *

**Haymitch, Four Weeks Later:**

He watched the darkness, watching for Snowden. They were all worried for her. Hazelle had visited twice to see if she had returned and to see if Haymitch knew where Gale had been. She hadn't seen him since Snowden disappeared. Haymitch had gone looking for the young man and found him in his old house with Katniss for company. Gale hadn't told her where Snowden was and so Haymitch told her that she was deathly ill and that it would be best to let doctors from the Capitol take care of her. The story was able to explain the sudden appearance of Thirteen's medical squad and Boggs. Gale had asked that Hazelle not know where he was and that he would return to Victor's village once Snowden was well again. Haymitch hadn't argued and returned home.

Behind him, Boggs paced the floor. He was worried about Snowden. He had told Haymitch that Thread enjoyed mixing chemicals to create drugs of all sorts. His favorite concoction was tracker venom with a pain killer, typically morphling. He generally got the answers he wanted when he used it.

"Boggs, you're going to wear a rut in my floor." Haymitch growled to the man. Boggs stopped a moment and then sat at the table.

"I taught her everything she knows, everything she needs to know. But I was never able to prepare her for this. I never prepared her for having to hide in plain sight as a high profile target. The longest assignment she's ever had is when she was assigned to Thread, to gather information on him. But he had never had reason to suspect her before. She had been insignificant in his eyes then. Now, she is high profile. She is a victor. Coin wasn't happy when Snowden decided to make sure both of them survived. She thinks that Snowden should have just killed Gale and gotten it over with. None of this romance. But I can see it. Those two love each other. She keeps saying that she wants to tell Gale about Thirteen, but I know she hasn't. She cares about him too much."

"She wanted to run." Haymitch said. "She wanted to go back to Thirteen and start fighting. But she couldn't. Thread turned back on the electricity." Haymitch remained looking out the window. Boggs joined him. Neither man said anything as they watched the snow start falling. Behind them, the doctors were waiting for their cue to begin. But they couldn't do anything until Snowden showed up. Haymitch rubbed his eyes and saw a flash of movement. He looked closer. He saw it again. A figure stumbling through the snow. The person looked female. Before Boggs could be sure, the two men were out the door and racing to the figure who was making their way to Snowden's house. She collapsed in the snow as they reached her. Haymitch removed his coat and wrapped her in it. He pressed his lips into a thin line when he saw that it was Snowden and she was badly beaten. Rope burns on her wrist showed that she had been tied. She was mumbling something about being sorry that she failed. Boggs picked her up and returned to the house. Snow began falling and Haymitch couldn't help but think that it was beginning to be a bad omen.

* * *

**Snowden's POV:**

I am cold. That's all I know. Why cold? Cold and snow. They go hand in hand I guess. Snow is cold. He sent Thread here. I should have known that he would have recognized me. Snow. But why? Haymitch said that he had reversed the second rule change. Did he do that only to torture me later? Did they suspect all along that I am a rebel spy?

Who am I?

I am Snowden Caltrit. Female Victor of District Twelve of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. I am married to Gale Hawthorne. I love him. Maybe too much to tell him that I am a rebel spy. Telling Gale would destroy this life that I've created with him. We agreed not to have children to save them from the Games. But I want them. Didn't realize that until now. But I am too cold for them. I would only hurt them…and their father.

Snow is cold. I have snow in my name. I must be cold as well.

* * *

**Boggs's POV:**

He looked at Snowden as she slowly regained consciousness. She was shivering violently and no matter how many blankets they piled on top of her, she would continue to shake. Whatever Thread had done to her, it was taking its toll on her. She hadn't woken since he and Haymitch had found her in the snow a couple of days ago. A doctor came in with another dose of the antidote for the tracker venom. It took the doctors all of an hour to determine that she had been heavily dosed with morphling and tracker jacker venom. It would take months to ween her off the medication as they were giving her more morphling along with the antidote for the venom. But it seemed more potent than normal. Boggs guessed that Thread had used a higher dosage on Snowden. It meant that he suspected her.

Snowden's eyes opened and her eyes fell on the syringe in the doctor's hand.

"Please no, I'll tell you about Thirteen and the rebellion. Please, don't stick that in me." Snowden sobbed as the doctor moved closer. "Please, I'll tell you. Just no more. It hurts." The doctor injected the medicine and Snowden continued to sob, mumbling something about promising to tell if he just stopped. Boggs kept himself from taking her hand and holding it. She had been hijacked and now he didn't know if she had told anything to Thread while his captive. From her reaction, he hoped that wasn't the case.

The doctor gave Snowden some more pain medication and some sleeping medicine before pulling Boggs out of the room. She sighed as she removed her gloves and threw them away. Haymitch walked up to them from the stairs. They were in his house in Victor's Village. It was too dangerous for her to be in her own home. Boggs had sent for a technical team to sweep the house for bugs. They had yet to arrive.

"Well?" Haymitch asked.

"It's hard to say here." The doctor said. "She's been hijacked by the venom. She thought I was Thread when I showed up to administer the medicine. She is sleeping now. We have better facilities in Thirteen. She would be better off there until she heals." The doctor said this more to Boggs than to Haymitch, but the old victor answered.

"That won't work." He said. "She needs to be here. What's going to happen if she is still incapacitated when Thread comes to call and she is not even here? What about when she is needed to make an appearance at the Reaping? If she can't be found here, people will start asking questions. Especially Gale. All he knows is that she was summoned by Thread and that she has been missing for the past month. I haven't been able to go to him to tell him that she showed up the other night. He doesn't know about Thirteen. She hasn't told him."

"We don't have the equipment necessary to keep her stable here." The doctor protested. "She would be better off in Thirteen. She may recover quicker."

"I understand that." Haymitch said. "But she is needed here. The people here think that you are doctors from the Capitol. Gale will believe that as well. He doesn't have to know that she was hijacked. But she needs him. He may be able to bring her out of the venom's influence. Just don't tell him it's an antidote. And put her under when you give it to her. She wants to tell him about Thirteen, but not like this. I'll give him the story to give her, that he'll believe."

"And if he doesn't believe it?" Boggs asked, looking at Snowden's bedroom door. "What then?"

"He knows some of the truth. He knows that she is a target. I'll tell him what I suspect and that I called on a favor to take care of her. Thirteen's secret is safe." Boggs nodded and returned to Snowden's room. He knew he should report to Coin on Snowden's condition, but she would order Snowden pulled back to Thirteen and Haymitch was right. If she disappeared now, there would be questions and no one would be safe.

* * *

**Gale's POV:**

I watch the fire Katniss made for me before she left for school this morning. She's not yet eighteen, like me and Snow. She still has to attend school. She'll be working soon enough. As what, I'm not sure. I never asked Mom what she did before she started washing people's laundry.

I look out the window and watch as the snow falls. Now I understand why Snowden didn't think the snow brought anything good. It's brought this District sickness and death. It took Snow from me in the form of Peacekeepers. I know Mom is worried about me, and so are the kids. I can't tell them that Snowden is suspected of inciting rebellion. But that is the truth of it. There is nothing else I can do. I just hope she is okay. She is different than the girls here, including Katniss. The way she killed in the Arena isn't something she learned from the trainers. And then during the tour, she heard the gun click. A girl here would have thought it was a camera. But Snow recognized it as a gun and pulled me out of the way. She is not from Twelve. But where is she from?

That doesn't matter anymore! She is my wife. I love her. I will be there for her in her darkest hour, even if she never tells me the truth about herself.

"I love her!"

"Good to know, Boy. She needs you." Haymitch's gruff voice reaches me. I turn to the door and see him standing there. There is no bottle in his hand, only my jacket which I had left by the door.

"You found her?"

"Come on." He says. I put out the fire, grab my jacket and follow him. We walk quickly through the streets. No one looks at us. I think I hear someone call my name, but I ignore it. Snowden is found. I doubt she came back the same as when she left. As we enter the village, I veer towards her house. Haymitch pulls me towards his. I follow. He told Katniss that she was deathly ill. I wonder how much of that was truth. We enter the house and I smell the powerful scent of the hospital. Haymitch's house has been sterilized, for Snow.

"Where is she?" I ask, eager to see my wife. Haymitch pulls me into the kitchen.

"Listen," he says and my heart sinks. "I'm not sure what happened to her or where she was for the past month. We found her in the snow the other night. We have agreed that it would be best that she remain here while she heals." He pauses, as if he doesn't want to tell me something. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but I am going to. During the Dark Days, the Capitol created the tracker jackers." I nod. "There was a form of torture called hijacking. A person suspected of being a rebel would be injected with the venom and it would attack their mind and they would either give up secrets or be turned to fight for the Capitol. I think Thread did this to Snowden, to see if she was a rebel, bred by her parents and grandparents to fight against the Capitol. I've called on a few favors to get her the help that she needs, but she was his prisoner for a month. I'm hoping it will help if you are there when she comes to again. Maybe seeing you, her rock, will help her heal faster." I try to take all of this in, but it seems too much. I don't even want to question how he even knows all this information, but I don't really care. All that matters is Snow. If she is "hijacked" like Haymitch says, then she does need me. I am the only constant for her, I hope. I look at Haymitch and nod. He stands up and leads me upstairs to a bedroom farthest from the stairs. I open the door. Snowden is pale and I can barely see her against the while sheets. The only way I know she is there is her black hair. A doctor stands straight, an empty syringe in hand. They nod at me and I walk farther into the room and take Snowden's hand and squeeze. There is a slight squeeze in return, at least I think there is.

"We are going to keep her sedated for now." The doctor says. "She'll heal better that way." I can only nod. All I know is that I can't lose her.

* * *

**There is more than likely going to be a time jump to the spring time in the next chapter. Thinking of having her sane then, just in time for her shoot. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	27. An Unexpected Visit pt 2

**Hi Everyone! Sorry I've been inactive. Some things happened and so I couldn't work on my fics. But I hate leaving things unfinished and so here it goes. Enjoy! (And no, this is not the last chapter, far from it)**

**I hope I give you your answers, ColMikeFuser and melliemoo. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Snowden:**

I look out into the snow. There is a glittery haze around me, but that has been there for weeks now. I've learned to ignore it. I've seen Gale through it and without it. I don't know what is real. All I know is that I am sitting in the snow, in the cold, in my element. Coin was right. I never should have hooked up with Gale. I should have killed him. If I had killed him, none of this would have happened. Now I can't even protect him. He is vulnerable and there is nothing that I can do about it. I can't save him. I can't save anyone I care about. Just like Rue. I couldn't save her. I was supposed to. That was the whole reason I had been selected to come from the shadows and into the spotlight. It was me that the people were going to see as their beacon to see what was wrong. All I did was shine a light onto a target. First Rue. And now Gale. Who's next? Posey? Vick? More than likely Rory. He's at the age that he's started putting his name in extra times just to help us. Our winnings don't seem to be enough to feed us and Katniss and her family. Gale and I had decided that we would do that, to help her out. I've tried helping those I could other than Katniss. Can't have it seem like I am favoring one family more than the rest of the District. No, that's not the real reason, is it. The real reason is I failed everyone. Because of me, no one can go into the woods for food. Because of me, the Hob was burnt down and Katniss's last memory of her father with it. What's going to get her through the Games now. She's taken out another family worth of tesserae. Prim has done the same, I know. Katniss wouldn't talk about it when I visited her. And I will fail her, them, just like I did with Rue.

"Oh, Little Rue. I'm so sorry." I say as I see a figure in the snow. The snow does nothing to hide her dark skin. It's Rue, come to me as if my thoughts had called her. I don't move as she sits in front of me. I don't look at her either. I can't. if I do, I'll see her the way she looked as she died, broken. I want to keep the image of the little girl that I fed in the arena. Whom I watched as she trained in the Training Center. She was a girl, had I been her mentor, I would have chosen to keep alive. I would have chosen her as my victor. She is the one I would have given her gifts. I would have fought for sponsors for her. I feel the tears starting to fall and I don't stop them. This is all too much for one teenager to handle. How am I supposed to lead a rebellion? I cringe and beg and plead at the sight of a syringe needle! I am a coward who can't do anything when she is given a large mission. A girl who should never have let herself be tricked into this. I should have stuck to my instinct and tried to back out of coming to meet Haymitch. If I had done that, I may never have been Reaped. I would never have gone into the Arena. I never would have met Gale. Never would have met Gale. If I had never met Gale, I wouldn't be this weak. But then I never would have experienced the best thing to have ever happened to me. But Gale, he needed to die that day. If he had, I wouldn't be in this trouble. I would be safe. I never would have been found out by Thread because I never would have ignited a rebellion. I never would have started going to the Hob. I never would have pulled out those berries.

I let the tears flow, not caring that Rue is right there next to me. I'm back in the Arena and missing everything that should have been. I miss the man that I call my father. I miss the life I had.

"Snowden," Rue says and I feel her hand lift up my chin and I am looking into her innocent brown eyes. Her hair is the same as it had been in the Arena. She's sitting like I've drawn her hundreds of times, perched in a tree and watching over us all as we kill each other, reserving our places in Hell for each betrayal and murder. I try to look away, but she keeps a firm hold of my chin. She seems to healthy now. Maybe I can still save her. Maybe everything after the Arena was a dream. Rue is still alive and I was having a nightmare mixed with a dream. Maybe, I can still save her.

"Rue," I whisper and reach out to touch her. My hand lands on her shoulder and I squeeze. She gives me a smile. "I thought I lost you to the others."

"What others?" She asks.

"The other tributes, Rue. I had a dream that they had killed you while I was destroying their food source."

"They did." She answers as she lets go of my chin and I see the spear wound through her middle. The scream stops in my throat as the tears pour again.

"It's my fault." I sob. "I couldn't save you and now I've put my whole District in danger." I see her smile through the tears.

"If you had managed to save me, you would have had to kill me yourself. That would have destroyed you more than what them killing me has done to you."

"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. I would have killed myself because protecting you, and those like you, is what my mission was. But I have failed in that. I failed in everything I was supposed to do. I was supposed to incite rebellion, and I didn't. I was supposed to quell the Districts and I failed in that. Now I have to try to protect those I love and I know I am going to fail in that as well. They chose the wrong person to do this."

"Did they?" Rue challenges with a fierceness I never heard in her voice before. "Who would you rather have them _use_?"

Use? Yes, the council would have used the person they had chosen if it wasn't me. The other option had been to use a victor from the Games, Haymitch's victor. That could have been Gale. But he wouldn't let himself be used. But Katniss would, if it had been Prim who had gone into the Games. Katniss would have volunteered to go in just to save her little sister. She would have let herself be used by the council if only to protect Prim. Prim, she reminds me so much of Rue and they both make me think of Posey. If Rory and been old enough and been Reaped, Gale would not have hesitated to throw himself into the Arena. He would have let himself be used by the council to protect his family. That is where the council made a mistake. They have no one they can use against me. Gale will help me protect our family without being used. Haymitch is sure to help us as well. But even with all that help, can I really do what I need to do? Can I lead Thirteen to victory when they failed the last time? I don't know. I look at Rue, at the spear wound and the burns and the broken bones. I don't know if I can lead them to victory, but I sure as hell am going to try. For Rue and Prim and the kids and everyone like them. These Games are cruel and need to stop. There is just one last thing that I have to do. I have to tell Gale. He has to know what is going on. He has to know that I am from Thirteen and that it is my mission to become a symbol of hope for the Districts and that I love him. He needs to know that above all. I don't know what I would do if he turned away from me because of this lie that I have had to wrap myself in. I have to make sure he knows that he was not part of a lie I was forced to live.

"Good," Rue says. "Now wake up. They are waiting for you."

"They?"

"Gale, your mentor. And some others that I don't know."

Others? What the hell happened to me? Thread…that was the last I remember. He was standing over me while I was tied to a pole. The syringe…I feel myself start shuddering at the thought. What did he do to me and is it worth waking up to?

As if my thoughts called him, Thread is walking towards us, a syringe in hand. I get to my feet and begin backing away. He walks past Rue as if she isn't even there. She stands on her broken legs and watches us. I keep backing away, trying not to trip over the snow which has become colder now that Thread has showed up.

"Don't let him frighten you, Snow." She says. But her words are faint and I can barely hear them as my brain runs in an attempt to find an escape from what happens next. The man who has haunted me for who knows how long keeps moving towards me. The syringe gleams in the light reflecting off the snow. No, please no.

* * *

**Boggs:**

"No, please no." Snowden muttered and Boggs looked up from his book. She was shaking as if she was cold. She had been doing that since they found her, but this was worse than before. There was fear in this shaking. He put his book down and held onto her hand. He knew that Gale should be here and doing this, but Haymitch had sent the boy to a spare room so he could get some sleep. Gale had been sitting at Snowden's bedside for weeks with very little sleep. She had shown back up in the dead of winter and now it was the beginning of spring, two to three months that she had been "ill". Thread had stopped by once after making a call on her house and finding it empty. He knew that she would spend time with her fiancée, so he said, and had checked there. When Gale's house had come up empty, he had knocked on Haymitch's door last week. Boggs had had to make himself scarce. Thread knew Boggs. They had fought on the battle field more than once. Thankfully, Gale had been just returning from visiting his family that day and was sitting with Snowden when Thread had demanded to see her. Watching from the kitchen, Boggs knew that Thread knew exactly what was going on and wanted them all arrested as spies and rebels. But all of the doctors had the proper identification as being from the Capitol and they vouched that Haymitch had called them from the Capitol to treat his sick victor before her wedding shoot which had been pushed back to the spring. There was no telling how much Thread was convinced, but their necks were safe, for the moment. They all knew that the moment Thread had the chance, he would arrest them all, including Gale who was still oblivious to the fact that Snowden was part of Thirteen and that Haymitch had called on them to come and save one of their own.

Snowden squeezed his hand and he returned the pressure gently, letting her know that she had a friend with her.

"Gale," she whispered. "Gale?" Boggs sighed, holding back tears as he turned to the doctor.

"Go and get the boy. She's asking for him." The doctor nodded and left. She came back a few minutes later with Gale who saw the shaking and immediately sat on the other side of the bed and took Snowden's other hand in both of his. There was a hard look on the young man's face and Boggs knew what he was feeling. He wanted to kill Thread for doing this to Snow. Boggs felt the same way. But Gale had been there when he couldn't be. If Snowden were his true daughter, Boggs would be proud to know that she was marrying someone like Gale. Boggs doubted that Gale would turn away from his wife-to-be when she told him the truth. He would be hurt, yes. But he wouldn't turn from her.

"Gale," she whispered again.

"I'm here, Snow." He said. "I am here and you are safe."

"Thread,"

"He can't hurt you now. You are safe. You are in Haymitch's house. You can wake up now. It is safe for you to wake up now." She didn't say anything and Boggs saw Gale squeeze her hand. Slowly, Snowden opened her eyes and looked at Gale. He smiled and kissed her hand.

"There's no haze." She whispered, her voice weak from the screaming and not talking for months.

"I'm really here, Snow. You don't have to worry about me disappearing on you, for whatever reason." Snowden smiles, as if hearing something she had been hoping to hear. Boggs lets go of her hand so he can get Haymitch and leave the couple alone for a few minutes. The doctors will want to check on her soon enough.

* * *

**Hehehehe...might have Gale's reaction to the truth in the next chapter, or maybe not. ;) Thanks for reading and please review!**


	28. Truths

**This chapter I know has been long awaited, even by me. I had to force myself to wait, to create suspense. Enjoy...**

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**Snowden's POV:**

I sit on the bed and look out the window. The window is open, allowing the fresh spring air into my musty home. It's been closed up since winter. No one has been in here since Boggs sent in a technical team to sweep for bugs. They found them littered around the house. They have all been removed, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I know that at any time, Thread could come for me again and there is nothing I can do to stop him. He can take me and lock me in a jail cell in the Capitol, never to be seen again. It is a very real possibility now. I have to tell Gale about Thirteen and why I was really Reaped and that my choosing was fixed, giving me no choice. But this waiting is killing me. He went into town to get food. He's been staying with me since I was cleared to live on my own again, with the condition that Gale stay with me until I can function on my own, especially when he gives me the antidote to the jacker venom. I still cringe at the needle.

Gale told me what Haymitch had told him about the suspicion of what Thread had done to me. The official story was that I got an infection from a wound I sustained in the fire and that caused whatever venom was left in my body from the Arena to act up. That's the story that Gale has been telling the people in the District, including Katniss. Telling her that I was suspected of being part of a rebellion would get her into trouble as well. Gale is now in danger because of Haymitch. It's even more important that I tell Gale the truth. He needs to be prepared in case something happens again. He has to know that he is my second-in-command, my most trusted next to Boggs. I can't put it off anymore.

"I'm back." Gale calls from the kitchen. I didn't even hear the door open. I don't move and wait for him to come back up to the room. I take a deep breath. "Snow, is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I whisper, "no." I turn to look at him. He sits in the chair next to mine and turns me to face him. "There are things I have to tell you." I say shakily. There is no easy way to say this. "You know the story that District Thirteen was destroyed at the end of the Dark Days and it was with their defeat that the Games started." He nods. Here it goes. I just have to say it. "What would you say if I were to tell you that it wasn't?"

"I'd ask if you were okay. Everyone knows that Thirteen has been destroyed. They show the ruins every year on the television."

"And if I were to say that they are lying?" I look at him and look him in the eyes as the pieces click into place. Now for the bombshell that I was dreading. I have to tell Gale that's where I'm from. I grab both of his hands in mine. "Gale, please hear me out before you react." I look into his eyes, begging him to just listen. He slowly nods. I bite my lip a moment before continuing. "Thirteen is alive. They are underground now, to keep them safe from the Capitol. But they are alive and they are fighting against the Capitol. _I_ am fighting against the Capitol." His eyes grow wide as the words hit him. "I am a spy for Thirteen. When we were Reaped, I was told that I was to meet an informant. That was supposed to be Haymitch. But it was a trick because I was chosen by the council to go into the Arena and become an icon for the people to rally to for a rebellion. When we were able to say our good-byes, Boggs came to me. He gave me my necklace and told me the truth. I told him that I wanted you to take my place if something were to happen to me. When it was announced that we could both come back, it meant that we could both live. I began my mission of saving the people by starting with you. I failed with Rue. I knew that when she died." The words spill from my mouth as I explain my training and how I avenged Rue. I explain the gun situations and my reaction in Eleven. I explain it all, including Thread and how he came to suspect me. The tears are falling when I finally shut up. "I'm sorry, Gale. I should have told you before. I'm so sorry." My breath hitches as I try to breath as I sob. Gale jerks his hands from mine. The tears fall harder. "My love was never a lie, Gale. I just want you to know that. And I understand if you want nothing to do with me." He gets to his feet and begins pacing.

"Who else knew?" He demands and I flinch at the harshness in his voice. I don't blame him. I lied to him and now he feels betrayed.

"Just Haymitch. The doctors were actually from Thirteen. So was the man who was at my side. He is Boggs. My commander while in the field. The one I say is my dad." I whisper the last part and turn to look out the window. I feel his eyes on me a moment and then it's gone. After another moment, I hear the door slam. I don't move. I just let the tears fall.

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**Gale's POV:**

The wind that bites into my skin is cold, but it does nothing to cool my anger. They both lied to me. Haymitch knew all along why she had been taken. That's how he knew about Thread's torture method. It makes sense. He would often show up without notice at Snowden's door step. It also explained Snow's visit before the tour. Everything is falling into place. All my questions about her are being answered. She says she loves me, but is that even true. She seemed fearful when she accepted my proposal of marriage. Was that because it was against orders?

I slam the door of my old house behind me. I am only alive because she was saving me. She had plenty of chances to kill me. From what she said, she should have killed me and then her cover wouldn't have been blown. She could have ended our relationship at any point. But she didn't. Was it real? How the hell am I supposed to know what I know! I hear the sound of something breaking and look. It's an old chair. Dad's favorite one that he would sit in next to the fire and tell us stories. Mom said she hadn't been allowed to take it since it had come with the house. Now I've broken it. The memories of Dad flood my mind, trying to find space with the thoughts of Snowden and the truth she just sprung on me.

Mom and Dad were so happy together. They never had secrets from each other. They were even open in front of us, for the most part. They loved each other to the point that they didn't care that we nearly didn't fit in the house once the little ones had been born. That's how I had felt about Snowden. I was ready to suggest we have at least one child. One that we would be able to coach through the Games to make sure they survived since it was a sure bet that they would be Reaped at some point.

I think back to the night that we became engaged. She had seemed genuinely happy when she accepted the ring. Is this what she was trying to tell me so many times? Even before the tour, she was trying to tell me something. When I had said we should run away, she was about to tell me something when Katniss had showed up. That's how she knew to save Katniss. She recognized Thread. She had even thought fast enough in order to prevent the wild bird from being seen when the whipped man arrived at Katniss's home to be treated for his wounds. That's been a steady thing lately. Could it possibly have anything to do with Snowden? If what she says is true, then all of this is her fault. All of this suffering is because of her.

Pain radiating up and down my back and jaw jerk me from my thoughts. I look up from my new position on the floor and find Haymitch looming over me, his hands balled into fists. He came looking for me when he found Snowden alone. I get to my feet and he knocks me down again and places a foot on my chest to keep me from moving. I try moving him but I can't. He's strong for an old man.

"Bastard," Haymitch growls at me. "You said you loved her. That's why I told you some of the truth about what was wrong and where she had been. Is this how you react to all of the truth? You said you loved her."

"She lied to me." I argue back, still trying to get Haymitch off me, surprised that Snowden had been able to throw him during training. But he was drunk then. He isn't now. But I have no doubt that she would still be able to throw him when he's sober.

"She lied to everyone. She's had to. That's part of her mission. She's been wanting to tell you for months. Since before the Victory Tour she's been wanting to tell you because she loves you. Before she even knew you, she chose you to replace her should something happen. She gave you the heads up now in case she was captured again and someone was needed in Thirteen. She told you so you wouldn't be blindsided when we came to you with the truth and the knowledge that we need you to fight in her place. She trusts you most next to Boggs." I don't say anything. She told me all of this already.

"How did you find me?"

"I followed you. I heard every word between the two of you. That tends to happen when you leave the windows open. You're lucky no one else heard the two of you. And if I were you, I suggest that you get your thoughts straight." He moves his foot. "You better hope she doesn't tell Boggs about this. That man loves her like a daughter. When he learns that you've broken her heart in this manner, he'll kill you himself and it'll make you wish Snowden had killed you in the Arena." He walks to the door. "She lied to protect you."

"Who would you have chosen, Haymitch? If you hadn't had orders to keep her alive."

"I chose both of you, Gale. You were a back-up in case she died in the Games. I found a way to bring both of you back."

"That didn't answer my question."

"You don't want the answer, Boy." Haymitch slams the door shut behind him and I watch him from the window. He is rigid with anger and walking straighter than I have ever seen him walk before. I turn from the window and look at the broken pieces of chair in front of the fire place. Dad's chair. I move to start cleaning things up when I notice a flash on the table. I stand straight and look. It's Snowden's ring, the one I made her during the tour. Haymitch must have brought it. There's a note with it. He stopped and talked to Snowden first before following me. I open the note.

_Gale, I understand that you don't want anything to do with me anymore. I don't blame you. I lied to you. I did it for your protection and for the protection of others and that has led to this point. Thread saw me for a spy. I don't know why he didn't arrest me at the fire. But that is not what I want to talk about. If something happens to me, I want you to take up my fight. I know I should have asked you before. But I couldn't without telling you the truth. I was scared, Gale and I know that is no excuse for my actions, but it's the truth. I was scared for you and your family and for Katniss and her family. You are the first person that I have ever let myself become close to and I've screwed it up. I'm sorry, Gale. Not sure how many times I'll have to say it before I convince myself. Probably never won't. Thank you for being there when no one else could be. I love you. Snowden._

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**Hehehehe, thoughts? Thanks for reading and please review. I look forward to reading your reviews to this chapter. hehehe**


	29. The Price of Honesty

**ColMikeFuser: Here is a look at what has developed in the few month time jump I have created. Hehehe, paints a pretty picture for what's to come I think, but I look forward to reading what you have to say.**

**melliemoo: I'm glad you think I've been able to stay true to Gale's character. Hopefully, as this war drags on, I can keep it that way. Fingers crossed.**

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**Snow's POV:**

He read the reports as he waited for the photos from the shoot. It had been pushed back after she had become ill and was unable to do a winter shoot. Snow didn't mind, the spring would look beautiful on her as well. Her illness concerned him. He had heard rumors that Thread was getting over zealous in his methods and who he was picking up and Snow feared that he had picked up his granddaughter for something trivial. But the cold could have also gotten to her and she got the flu. There was no way of knowing for sure what exactly was happening without actually being there. But he was excited to see his granddaughter in her mother's wedding gown. It was the one he had already approved of even though the people didn't know yet. He had placed it in the final selections and she would be wearing it in the photos.

A knock on the door had the president putting down the reports and straightening his desk before calling for his visitor to enter. It was a messenger. Snow smiled. The photos had arrived. He couldn't wait to see them and vote for his favorite one along with the rest of the Capitol. He waited to be handed the envelope. Which reminded him. Within the next few days, he would have to read the card. It was the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games. Snow shook his head to clear it and held out his hand. The messenger began quaking in fear.

"Where are the photographs?" The president demanded.

"There are none, Sir." The messenger answered. "That's what I was sent to tell you. They've broken off the engagement. She called her stylist late last night and told him that he would not be needed. He called me and the camera crew."

"Bring me the stylist. NOW!" The messenger bowed and left quickly, tripping over his own feet. Snow settled into his chair and began thinking. This was sudden. His spies had said nothing of the two fighting with each other. They had shown they were in love and looking forward to the wedding. In fact, Gale had not left his granddaughter's side since the illness. Perhaps that's all it was, a small lover's spat. He would send the crew anyway if he felt the need to. Though, he had a better idea if the wedding was truly off. She was his granddaughter. He would bring her to live in the Capitol with him and give her all the comforts that had been stolen from her. He just needed to wait for the stylist to report in order to make his decision.

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**Snowden's POV:**

Thud. The sound barely reaches my ear over the blood rushing in my ears. Thud. Thud. Thud. With each sound, there is a little bit of pain that radiates up my arm. I don't mind it. I need it to keep myself from thinking about what happened last month. I haven't talked to him since he stormed out of my house that day. Haymitch had come back, back rigid and his hands balled into fists. He didn't have my ring with him which means he left it, like I asked him to. But there were bruises on his knuckles. He punched Gale. That's not what I wanted and I didn't expect it either, not from Haymitch. But what's done is done. I can't change it and I don't want to. He's made his choice. He doesn't want me. It's time I move on and continue with the mission. The reading of the card is coming up. I need to have a clear head so I know what I am gonna be up against as a mentor. This is the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games and I will be mentoring…with Gale.

The thought strikes pain into my heart once again and I stop and lean against my makeshift punching bag. I bought some hay and stuffed a large pillow case with it before hanging it up in my basement. I even have weights down here that I managed to get from the smiths. After a month, I am in better shape than I was after the Games. At this rate, I'll be in better shape than I was before my Games. No matter. This is what I want. I have to do this. I go back to punching the bag, going through the forms that Boggs and the trainers taught me, adding kicks when they were needed or when I felt like it. Yesterday was supposed to be the wedding shoot. I cancelled that the night before it was to take place. Cinna didn't say anything. Didn't even ask why we had broken the engagement. But Cinna doesn't pry. He sent the message and I haven't heard from him since. But then again, I have been in my basement since I made the call.

I turn on my heel and swing, my fist stopping inches from Haymitch's face. He didn't flinch. Good for him. I am breathing heavily and I feel sweat pouring down my face. My clothes are soaked. I've been down here for hours, I know. Maybe days. I'm not sure.

"What are you doing here?" I pant and lower my fist, flexing both of my hands to relieve the pain. I walk to a bucket of water. It's still cold which is nice. I stick my hands in and sit.

"Checking on you. I got a message for you from Boggs."

"And?"

"He says that he regrets what happened and he knows that it is partially his fault. You were conflicted because of your orders which he had to ensure you carried out." Haymitch says and I wet a towel and wipe my head, starting with my face. "None of this is your fault, Snowden. It's just the way the cards fell."

"Is that last bit from Boggs, or you."

"Both. It was a big secret you were keeping from the man you love."

"I know." I sigh and look at my knees. "How is he doing?"

"I don't think he is happy about it either. He wears the ring around his neck. I saw it the other day when I went to visit, see how he was doing. He quickly hid it again and I didn't pry."

"What other news do you have?"

"Districts 3, 4, and 8 have for sure tried to revolt. Rumors say Districts 7 and 11 have as well. Boggs hasn't gotten confirmation about the last two."

"That's still almost half of the Districts. I've lost the people, Haymitch."

"Not many of them believed the lovers angle, Sweetheart. Rumors are that they believe the marriage was arranged by the Capitol after you saved the two of you." I nod and don't say anything. I can't tell him that I put my mission on the backburner to focus on my relationship with Gale. Now that it's over, I have to focus on my mission again. I have to become a figure of revolution. That'll be hard now that I am a mentor. Maybe we need to move up the timeline.

"What was that?" I ask. I was getting lost in my own thoughts again and missed what Haymtich had said.

"There is going to be an announcement tonight. In about an hour, actually. I suspect it will be the reading of the card. This is the Quell after all."

Yes, it is. I leave the basement and go upstairs to my bathroom so I can shower and change clothes. In an hour, I'll know what I am up against. I am a dragon. I can't let myself be afraid. Now, I fight back when I see that damn needle. I gave Haymitch a black eye last week when he approached me with a fake one. He hasn't tried it again. Thread doesn't scare me. In fact, he seems afraid now. I smirk and close the bathroom door behind me.

An hour later, I'm perched on the edge of my comfy chair, brushing my hair. It's grown since my Games. The foot I lost is back along with another. Haymitch is sitting in the other chair and we're both facing the television. Caesar Flickerman is standing in front of the Training Center in front of a large crowd. He looks sad, as if someone had just died and I realize that I only told Cinna about the break-up the other day. That means all of the Capitol just got the news. And now so will the rest of Panem. Not even the rest of the District knew, except for Gale's family. After Gale stormed out, Hazelle often came to see me. She would bring me groceries the first few days and then, when I got my strength back, I would go with her. It was sad, yes. But nothing to make a big announcement over. Cinna is the one who makes the announcement. He is calm and assures everyone that there may yet be a wedding photo shoot, just not within the next month and that the dresses they selected would be the ones I would be wearing. Typical Cinna. Always looking out for me. I leave the television on. The anthem is playing now and President Snow walks onto the stage followed by a young boy in a white suit who is holding a wooden box.

The anthem ends and he begins to speak. He reminds us of the Dark Days and how it is the fault of the rebels that we have the Games and that every twenty-five years, that fact would be bought to the front as a reminder to all. Then he tells of the previous Quells. The first Quell was an election of tributes to represent the choice of the rebels to fight against the Capitol. Then, the second Quell, to remind everyone that two rebels died for every Capitol citizen, there were double the tributes. I see Haymitch flex his hands. That was the year he won.

"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," the president says and the little boy opens the box. There are rows of yellowed envelopes, in perfect order. The creator of this system had been prepared for centuries it seems. The president removes the envelope marked with a 75, opens it, and pulls out a square piece of paper. He hesitates a moment. That's not like him. He takes a breath and reads. "On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that not even the strongest among them can overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."

For a moment, I am baffled by what it could mean. The existing pool of victors. Existing victors. The strongest of those of Panem. The ones who survived the Games. They are the strongest. The pieces click into place and I am frozen in place.

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**Gale's POV:**

Mom turns off the television and starts telling the kids to go to bed. I don't move from my spot in front of the damned thing. There is the chance that I am going back into the Arena, the place of death. I have a fifty-fifty chance. Snowden is for sure going back in. Snowden. This is the first I've thought about her in the past month. I know Mom goes and takes her shopping or helps to clean her house and Haymitch's, but I have not talked to my ex-fiancé since then. Now she is going back into the Arena where she could come out a winner or dead. As a fellow victor, I would rather her come out a winner. But that would mean she would have to kill either me or Haymitch. Unless she sacrifices herself for this damned rebellion of hers. But then that would put me in the situation she was trying to shield me from.

I take out the ring and look at it. She sent it back because she thought I was done with her. Am I? She was doing what she could to protect me. When the rules changed a second time, she could have killed me. But she didn't. She yelled at the Gamemakers with me. But of course she would, I am her second-in-command. I have to take her place if she dies. Or if anything happens to her.

"Talk to her." I hear Mom say and I quickly tuck the ring back under my shirt.

"Why?" I snap. I don't like talking about her.

"Whatever the two of you fought about is too trivial to keep the two of you apart like this." Yeah, sure Mom. "She is going back into that place. She may not come out alive again. Do you want the last thing she hears from you to be whatever you yelled at her?"

"She hasn't come to me. Shouldn't she be feeling the same thing?"

"I didn't raise her. I raised you. Now, get off your butt and get over there." I don't move. I can't go and talk to Snowden. "Now, Gale Hawthorne." Full name. I'm going. I exit the house and go to Snowden's. I can see the television still on and someone sitting in front of it. I can't tell who it is. I knock on the door and the person gets up. It's Haymitch. I can tell by the way he is walking. He opens the door.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to her." I hear Snowden call something and he turns to look. He looks at me again.

"Go spend tonight with your family, Gale." He shuts the door in my face. I knock again and again, but no one answers. After about an hour, I go home in defeat. So much for making up and being at least friends.

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**Haymitch's POV:**

"You should talk to him." Haymitch said as he stepped off the last stair.

"Get word to Boggs and Coin." Snowden answered as she hit the punching bag, ignoring his comment. "Tell them to come up with a plan to get me and whoever they can out of the Arena. It'll be during the Games. That's when we reveal ourselves." Haymitch looked at his victor in concern. She had thrown herself into training since she and Gale and broken up. He felt it was stupid that they had. They needed each other now more than ever. "Use the bread to let us know when. The district will indicate the day and the number will be the hour. Make sure they understand that. We have someone in the Capitol?"

"Yes, we have someone in the Capitol." He answered. "Snowden, are you sure this is the right thing."

"Yes." She answered as she walked over to the weights and started lifting them. She wasn't doing them long before she dropped the one in her hand and looked at the floor. "I'm not going to be able to kill him, Haymitch. No matter what he thinks about me, I still love him and I can't stand the thought of him dying, especially by my hands. I refuse to have his blood on my hands."

"You know he has a chance of going in. He has the same chance as me."

"He doesn't have to." She said, not looking at him.

"Snow,"

"They've rigged it before. They rigged _my_ reaping. Rig it so he is picked and then you volunteer. I will not have him in that Arena with me. He is not dying. He still has a life to live. I forfeited mine when I became a spy for Coin."

"Okay. I'll tell them. Maybe they can work out something." Snowden nodded, picked up the weight and continued with her training. Haymitch stood in the basement a second longer before leaving through the outside door. He needed to carry out her orders. The council and Coin thought that they were controlling her. But this was one dragon that would not be controlled by anyone except for the one she loved and that still loved her. Why else would he be wearing the ring he made special for her around his neck? He needed to get them back together and made up before the shit hit the fan.

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**Hehehehe, this is getting exciting to write and I hope it is just as exciting to read. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	30. Accepting the Danger

**Hope you all like this chapter. 'Tis the Reaping you have all been waiting for. *wink wink* When I switch POV's, there is a little bit of going back in time, just a head's up.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Snowden:**

I grunt as I hit the bag again. Haymitch is holding it for me, making it like I'm actually fighting somebody. An actual person wouldn't sway back and forth like the bag does and the only reason the bag swings is because it is light. Some of my opponents are going to be huge and immobile. The first couple of times that Haymitch tried holding the bag for me, I knocked him onto his ass. After that, I started getting him into shape. If he is going to be in there with me, he needs to be strong enough to last until Coin can get us out. Twenty-five years of drinking has put him in bad shape compared to me and the younger victors. Maybe some of the older ones to. After a few weeks of my training regimen, Haymitch is looking healthier than he has in months, maybe even years. At least now he has a fighting chance. We both know that there is a chance neither one of us is going to make it to rendezvous day. In either case, Gale is safe.

I spin on my heel and my fist connects with a jaw. The person goes flying backwards and lands next to a straw mat that I found down here months ago. I flex my fists as I walk over. Gale turns over and I scowl.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. He wasn't supposed to be having anything to do with me. That was the deal. He's done with me because I lied to him.

"You didn't have your body guard at the door so I decided I would come talk to you." He shoots a glance at Haymitch. How many times has Gale tried to come and talk to me?

"You shouldn't be anywhere near me." I say and walk over to the cold water and ice my hands.

"That's my choice, isn't it?" He catches the wet towel I toss him and puts it to his jaw which is starting to turn purple.

"No, it's not your choice. I am dangerous."

"I know that. We both won, remember."

"A technicality of a bleeding heart." I reply and begin lifting weights. I glare at Haymitch and he joins me. Gale watches us, seeing a bond created through our life choices no doubt. It's not something that can be changed now. Nothing can be changed. We chose to fight against the Capitol. Gale didn't. "Go home, Gale. Be with the kids and with Katniss. Forget about me and about what I told you. I don't plan on dying and, if I do, I will not force my responsibility onto you. I won't let you be used by Thirteen to accomplish their goals. This is our fight. Not yours."

"What if I make it mine?"

"Don't," I say curtly. "You are in enough danger just knowing me. It's better this way."

"Look. I get it. You are concerned about my well-being. But you don't have to if I choose to put my life in danger."

"But you didn't!" I scream as I drop the weight and get to my feet. "I chose you because of your brothers and the protection you have for them. _I_ chose you because the people would rally to you because you are one of them. It was that or let them manipulate someone from the Districts. _I chose_!"

"Then why did you tell me everything?" He snaps back.

"So you wouldn't be taken by surprise on the off chance that I die before things begin to happen. I told you so you wouldn't be manipulated by the council and the higher ups of Thirteen."

"So, it's better if I get used by you."

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" I hiss. By now, Gale and I are inches from each other.

Stars dance in front of my eyes and I take a step back from Gale. I barely notice him clutching the back of his head. I turn to look at Haymitch who is looking at both of us.

"That is _enough_." He hisses through gritted teeth. "What the hell is the matter with you two love birds?" A blush rises to our cheeks and I notice my engagement ring hanging from Gale's neck. It reminds me of the carving I have sitting on my desk…and the picture of him sleeping in the arena. He never saw it. I never let him during the victory tour and he hardly ever bothered me while I was drawing. I haven't finished it yet. I've been adding color, making the trees more emerald than they were. More of me protecting him. I will protect him with all that I have, even if it kills me. "We are only going to be able to get through this together. Maybe you two can distract Snow by at least being friendly towards each other." My sight clears and I sit back down and look at my knees. Haymitch is right. Snow needs to be put off guard. But I am not willing to use Gale for that again. That puts Gale in harm's way. I'm supposed to be protecting him.

"We don't have to get back together." Gale says and I look up and around. Haymitch is gone. Good thing Ripper knows not to sell to him anymore and I've made sure that anything I have is well hidden. I look back to Gale. "Maybe it's a good thing that this happened. It's better to start out as friends anyway. So what do you say?" He holds out a hand to me. "Friends?" I look at him and then at the hand.

"Are you sure about this, Gale? Do you want to be in this type of danger?"

"_Want_ to be? Hell no. But I am already in danger and if there is to be more, then I would rather face it head on rather than let it kill me without a fight. So?" I sigh and look at him a moment before taking his hand.

"You're damn hard to get rid of." I say and he laughs.

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I tie up my hair and look out the window. This is the one day that I can be alone. No more training. No more trying to have a brave face. I asked Haymitch and Gale to leave me alone last night and that I would see them at the Reaping. What are the chances that I am going to make it to rendezvous day? Very slim. At least I have the comfort of knowing Gale will be safe even if he goes into the Arena again. Hopefully not though. He may want to risk his life, but I will not let it happen in the Arena. I'd rather him not risk it at all. But he is stubborn and I've fallen in love with him and I still love him. It's why I want to protect him so bad I guess.

I sigh and pull my hair tight and walk out of my bedroom and down the stairs. I stop for a moment and look at the carving that Gale gave me during the victory tour, remembering what he said to me. I look at his picture, almost finished. I just need to finish the last little bit of leaves. I wish I had the time to. I doubt this is going to survive the war. When the shit hits the fan, Twelve is going to be the first to fall. I finger my necklace and leave the house. The streets are quiet. I hate this quiet. It unnerves me. It's worse today because I know what is going to happen today. There is no maybe I'll be spared today. The tributes are coming from the existing pool of victors. I am the only female tribute. I am going in.

I make it to the square just a few minutes before two and am taking my place in my pen when the clock strikes two. Gale and Haymitch are in a pen next to mine. I watch as Effie struggles to catch my slip of paper. She finally does and calls my name. I mount the stage and wait. My heart is pounding. Did Coin do as I asked? Did she save Gale? Effie goes to their ball and grabs a piece of paper. My heart leaps when she calls Gale's name. He mounts the stage and then Haymitch volunteers for him, just like we planned. Gale shoots us both a scowl as we are marched into the Justice Building where Thread is waiting.

"New procedure." He grins and takes us out the back door, into a car, and to the train station. It is quiet here to. Gale and Effie appear, escorted by guards and we are all put on the train. I don't look back as we are taken away. I am not coming back here. The war has begun.

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**Gale:**

I look at the clock again. Where is she? I can tell the people are getting nervous. They are wondering if their lone female victor has abandoned them. I can't help but wonder something along the same lines. Has she gone back to Thirteen? I look at Haymitch. He doesn't seem worried at all. In fact, he looks almost resigned to today's outcome. I wonder if he thinks he's going into the Arena. I'm not going to let him. I'm going to get Snowden out so she can finish this damned fight of hers. Even if I have to kill myself at the end so she can be named the victor, she is going to win the Quell. I look up the street towards the village and see her approaching. The people of Twelve make a path for her and she is standing in the middle of her pen as the clock strikes two. The mayor hurries through the traditional speech that I barely listen to. I can only keep my eyes on Snowden. Does she know that I still love her? That I never stopped? If she hadn't given Haymitch the ring to give back to me, I would have gone back to talk to her about this. Why didn't she know that I was just mad and hurt? I love you Snowden. I will always love you and I am taking up your fight at your side.

I hear her name called and she walks up the stage to the steps. She is looking at Effie and I can see the hope in her eyes that my name isn't going to be called. I mean, why would Haymitch volunteer for me anyway? Effie grabs a slip of paper and calls my name. Snowden and I make eye contact as I climb the steps of the stage. Haymitch volunteers for me as I turn around. There is some muttering in the crowd as Haymitch climbs the stage and pushes me aside. What the hell is he doing? Wouldn't he be better on the outside? I look at Snowden as she turns to enter the Justice Building. There is relief there. She didn't want me in the Arena. Did she rig the Reaping just like hers had been? I stand next to Effie as the two tributes disappear into the building. I can tell by the look on her face that she is as surprised as I am. I hope she can guide me through this. Seconds after Snow and Haymitch are gone, Effie and I are surrounded by Peacekeepers and escorted to a car. I hear one of them mumble something about a new procedure. We are taken to the station and are escorted to the platform where Haymitch and Snowden are heading towards the train. The four of us climb on and the train pulls out of the station and we are gone. Snowden doesn't seem too upset that we are leaving without saying goodbye. She knows that this is her fault and the fault of her true district. I want to be angry with her, but she is just as much of a victim as me when I think about it. She had to be tricked into taking this assignment and she found love and friends which, as she has told me, are liabilities for spies. Well, she'll have to teach me the ways so I can be her spy in the Capitol while she is in the Arena.

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**Honestly, who was surprised that Haymitch volunteered for Gale? I mean, I've been hinting at it. **

**Thanks for reading and please review.**


	31. Back Again

**Enjoy!**

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**Snowden's POV:**

I would rather not go to dinner, but Gale forces me to go. Haymitch and Effie are quiet and Gale and I don't speak either. The only one of us who has a one hundred percent chance of returning to Twelve is Gale. We all know it. But he won't be returning to Twelve. Not right away. When Thirteen shows up, they'll take Gale to the compound where he can be kept safe from the Capitol. If Snow gets his hands on him, he can use Gale against me in order to get the information that he wants. I refuse to let that happen. I will not let that happen. Not to him. I refuse. I look at Haymitch. He knows the danger to all of us. Any punishment will be worse for him and me. We are actually rebels. Gale was only dragged into this because of me. It's always me getting people into trouble. Who's next? Cinna? Katniss?

We finish dinner and go into the lounge car and turn on the television for the recaps. I hand Haymitch a small bottle of liquor. He takes it without a word and no one else says anything either. He has made friends with these people and now he will have to kill them to make it to rendezvous day. The tributes from 2 stick in my head as we watch. They will be going after me for sure. Just as well. I can kill them before they have a chance to keep me in the Arena. Dead or alive, I am leaving it. Finnick from 4 also sticks in my mind. He could be a potential ally. Him and the old woman who volunteers for the female tribute. I watch Haymitch's face as Chaff is called. There is no change and I can't help but wonder what he is thinking. Then it's 12's turn. I notice the stillness in the crowd as my name is caught and called. Then Gale is called and I see the determination in his eyes turn to confusion as Haymitch volunteers for him. The confusion is quickly replaced with resignation and I grab his hand, linking our two chairs. I know he wanted to go in with me, but I will only let him go so far. It is my responsibility to protect him and this is the best way I can do that and hope that he makes it to old age. Unlike me. I'm probably going to die in the fighting either in the Arena I'm heading to or the Arena I've been in my entire life.

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**Gale's POV:**

I pace back and forth. It feels weird knowing that I am not a tribute this year. I would rather be a tribute. I don't know how any of this works. Haymitch gave me a quick rundown this morning, but knowing that their lives rests in my hands is not something I like knowing. After tonight, I will have to stay up and sign contracts for sponsors based on first impressions. I hope Cinna and Portia know what they are doing. Haymitch is going to need a lot of help in that department. He told me that there was going to be a day when the shit was going to hit the fan and that when someone gave me a certain signal, I needed to go with them. Easier said than done. I have a feeling that this is going to happen while they are in the Arena. I'm not going to want to leave Snowden to the wolves. Though, I have no doubt that she would kill them all before getting to safety without a scratch.

I watch the television as the chariots start to roll out of the stables. I take note of how every victor is dressed. The worst looking ones are covered from head to toe. The younger and healthier tributes are dressed a bit more revealing. Haymitch is dressed as a living coal, a crown atop his head marking him as a victor. Snowden also has a crown but her costume is different. She is in a silver dress that is glowing on the chest and only each time she breathes, as if she were a dragon who is surveying the land before her. The rest of the dress is twisted around her legs. To the untrained eye, she looks like a living coal, but I can see it. I spent months turning wood into a dragon. Cinna is playing a dangerous game. The crowd loves her outfit. Yes, she will be getting a lot of sponsors tonight. Maybe even Haymitch will as well. If I can keep them both alive, I have to keep both of them alive.

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**Snowden's POV:**

I turn off the lights that are in my dress and step off the chariot with Chaff's help. He and his fellow tribute had come over to us the moment the doors closed. She hugs me and tells me that the families are fine. For some reason, that takes a burden from me and I feel slightly lighter. I was worried about them, especially after what had been happening. Now it has to end. We banter back and forth as we ride the elevator back up. We are the only ones on ours and the talk turns serious as we speculate what we can expect in the Arena. When they get off at their floor, Haymitch and I stand in silence. We both know that what we will have to do in order to make it to rendezvous day. If it comes down to their lives or mine, I will have to kill them and I know that Haymitch feels the same way. How can he not? He knows the position we are in and what we have to do in order to get it done. Most of these people are going to have to die if we both want to make it back to Thirteen. Why can't anything ever be simple?

We exit the elevator and Gale and Effie meet us in the living room. Gale gives me a quick hug and turns to Haymitch and compliments him on his outfit, making an obvious joke out of it. But Haymitch doesn't laugh. He has a hard look on his face. I think that he doesn't like the joke and is thinking of ways to murder Gale, but then we both notice that he is looking behind us to the dining room. Gale and I turn as Effie makes a comment about matched sets. The red haired Avox who took care of me last year is back. But the man beside her is different. I haven't seen him since the whipping. Since the last time I was in the Hob. I hadn't gone back because of paranoia. I vaguely remember seeing him the day of the whipping. What was his name? Gale looks about ready to faint and I turn from the Avox to Gale. I can see that he knows him to. How is that…I stop my train of thought. The Hob. Peacekeepers used to go there. There was one in particular who would always tease Katniss and would try to flirt with me, especially in front of Gale.

_"I would be careful if I were you, Hawthorne. Someone may try to steal her from you." The red head laughed._

_ "I would like to see them try, Darius."_

Darius. Darius is his name. He was a Peacekeeper. Purnia told me, in one of our brief exchanges after the whipping, that he had intervened with the whipping, trying to stop Thread from cracking the whip and was hit over the head. I forget why we had even met. Maybe I had run into her on the street before the blizzard. Right before the fire. I don't know. I can't remember much before my torture at Thread's hands. But Darius.

I bite my lip and steer Gale towards the bedrooms and take him into mine where I set him on the bed. I sit next to him for a few minutes before I change. I don't care that he's in the room. He's not even paying attention. I pull on a shirt and pants and sit next to him again, pulling him against me.

"It's Darius." He whispers.

"I know." I say. "I'm sorry Gale."

"Did this happen to the rest of them?" Them being the other Peacekeepers he knew.

"I don't know. But Purnia told me that Darius had tried to interfere with the first whipping. The rest of them more than likely got sent back for retraining."

"What do they hope to accomplish by having him here?"

"You and Haymitch know him. What he tried to do for the miner, it showed that he was liked and he liked the people. That includes you and Haymitch. And me. They're trying to break us before we get into the Arena so we'll be easier to kill." He sits up straight.

"And me? How does breaking me benefit them?"

"You are not in the right mind to help us like you need to be. We can't let them do this to us. That's why the first rule is to be alone. You can't have friends. Or loves. Or family. Anyone you care about can be used against you." I don't say anything else. I don't have to. He knows how dangerous I am. He knows that I could have killed him last year. That I should had killed him last year.

Haymitch is the one to call us for dinner. Effie, Portia, and Cinna make conversation about the ceremonies and the outfits. Haymitch, Gale, and I stay quiet. I feel Cinna's eyes on me and I meet them briefly. From the way he blinks, I can tell that he needs to talk to me later. I look at the ceiling and he understands.

After dinner, we watch the opening ceremonies and make mental note of who actually looks fit and who doesn't. Though, nothing is going to be for sure until training tomorrow. My plan is to watch them and see who are the bigger threats. The Careers are going to be for sure. Maybe I can get a bead on their talents. I have to think of one for me. A new one. Nothing has changed.

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**Thanks for reading and please review.**


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